A DEAL has been forged by Burnley’s MP to ensure that the town’s university technical college will remain operational so final year students can complete their courses.

The Lancashire Telegraph revealed last month that UTC Lancashire, based at the former Victoria Mill in Trafalgar Street in the town, had decided to close its doors at the end of this educational year, due to low pupil numbers.

Students and parents at the specialist construction and engineering college, which is backed by the Baker Dearing Trust, were faced with the prospect of those in Year 10 being split up and reassigned to other establishments across East Lancashire to complete their studies.

But Burnley MP Julie Cooper, with the backing of Burnley College and Blessed Trinity RC College, has successfully lobbied the Department for Education (DfE) to continue to support the students at the Trafalgar Street building until the start of September 2017.

She is also hopeful that a longer-term solution can be found for the regenerated former mill, as a training and education facility, once the UTC students have eventually left.

Mrs Cooper said: “The Burnley solution offers excellent news for the children and parents of UTC after weeks of anxiety and uncertainty.

“Following the devastating news from the DfE that UTC was to close at very short notice, with funding withdrawn, I promised parents that I would do all in my power to fight in parliament for a solution which would allow the worst affected children to complete their courses, ideally together and in the UTC building.”

The MP also paid tribute to the efforts of the colleges, Burnley Council and the council leader Cllr Mark Townsend and the county council after ‘weeks of difficult negotiations’.

A Lancashire County Council spokesman said: “The authority has stressed during discussions with the DfE that there was a moral responsibility to safeguard the future of the children attending the UTC.”

In its short life the UTC had two principals, known as managing directors, and was issued with a financial notice to improve by the Education Funding Agency in August 2014, after it had formally requested funding advances for 2015-16 and failed to submit audited financial statements by the given deadlines.