West Worcestershire MP Harriett Baldwin has met with the Skills Minister to brief him on plans to try and save Malvern Hills College before the site is sold off to property developers.
Skills Minister Alex Burghart MP and Harriett Baldwin MP
Harriett met with Alex Burghart MP, Further Education Commissioner Shelagh Legrave and the Education and Skills Funding Agency’s Lorna Pursglove to discuss the decision taken by Warwickshire College Group to close down the historic site and lay off the staff.
Malvern Hills District Council placed a covenant on the site insisting that teaching is continued on the site and Harriett met with the Minister to discuss what steps can be taken to protect this. Dr Pursglove from the ESFA confirmed that the decision to enforce the covenant sits with the District Council.
Harriett has been working closely with the Bransford Trust which has made a bid to buy the site and return teaching as soon as possible. She urged Warwickshire College Group to come to the table with mediators to find a swift solution after the management rejected the latest bid.
Harriett said: “I was grateful to the Department for Education for arranging this meeting where I got the chance to brief the Minister on the latest information and discuss the covenant which, I believes, protects the site now and in the future.
“This was an extremely constructive discussion and I am hopeful that the message will be relayed to Warwickshire College Group that they should come to the table and find an acceptable solution for all.
“The community wants to see teaching retained at the historic site, there’s a covenant protecting this and there is a fair bid on the table. I hope that common sense will prevail.”