Council could scrap direct delivery of adult education

REFORM-LED AUTHORITY LAUNCHES REVIEW INTO FUTURE OF SERVICE

- By EDDIE BISKNELL

REFORM-RUN Derbyshire County Council is considering scrapping its entire direct delivery of its adult education service and handing it over to commissioned private providers.

This comes after the authority, under the now-resigned cabinet member for education Jack Bradley, illegally approved the closure of five community adult education centres without consultation in August.

That decision, which was later remade lawfully, followed the closure of a further two centres two months before.

Now the leading Reform UK cabinet is set to launch a consultation into the future of the entire adult community education service - with a total budget of £6.4 million through grant funding.

It says the service is currently due to overspend next year by £156,000 and needs to make changes.