Farron to meet new universities minister to raise Ambleside case

South Lakes MP Tim Farron is to meet the new universities minister, David Willetts MP, on Monday to press him over the future of the University of Cumbria's Ambleside campus.

The meeting, which will be attended by all the six Cumbrian MPs and a representative from the Higher Education Funding Council for England, will also look at the future of the University of Cumbria as a whole.

Speaking in advance of the meeting, Tim said: "The loss of hundreds of undergraduate students from Ambleside is a real blow both to the local community and to the staff who work there. We've had some success in keeping outdoor education students at Ambleside, but in the university's latest forward plan little thought appears to have been given to any other plans for the campus.

"The University of Cumbria should be a university for Cumbria, and the current drip-drip movement of students and services to Lancaster needs to be stopped. I hope that at the meeting on Monday the new government will support our campaign and help us build a stronger University of Cumbria for the future."