A consultation is underway into the potential closure of seven adult education centres across Cornwall as the council seeks to ensure the service provides value for money for residents.
Numbers in adult education have not recovered as quickly as hoped following COVID, putting pressure on a service which is delivered by Cornwall Council but funded by Department for Education in Westminster based on the number of learners.
This, coupled with inflationary pressures over the past two years, has made it difficult to justify the existing cost when a different way of working with partners and moving to online provision will allow most courses to continue in a different format.
Seven adult education centres are running at a deficit and given the current financial pressures we face as an authority we are consulting on their closure.
The centres are Camelford, Callington, Torpoint, Saltash, Launceston, Penzance and St Austell. Centres in Bude, Newquay, Liskeard, St Dennis, Bodmin, Helston, Truro, Camborne, Hayle and Falmouth will remain open.
If the consultation results in any closures, anyone enrolled at any affected centre will be supported to continue their course, possibly through the transfer to a nearby alterative centre, to an online alternative, or to another provider, such as a college, including Truro and Penwith College and Cornwall College.
Cllr Barbara Ellenbroek, Cornwall Council’s portfolio holder with responsibility for adult education, said: “The financial challenges facing all local authorities mean we simply cannot keep providing a service if we are losing money, especially when we can maintain access to courses through alternative delivery methods.
“Many people now prefer to access education online, and there are alternative providers available, as well as the remaining centres which will continue to operate as normal.
“This is not a case of reducing our offering, it is about delivering it in the most cost-effective way to ensure we are providing the very best value for money for our residents.”
You can provide feedback on the consultation by emailing adulteducation.feedback@cornwall.gov.uk
ENDS
Posted 25 November, 2024