Adult education services could be privatised as council looks to avoid £156k overspend

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.

- By EDDIE BISKNELL Local democracy reporter

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, later remade lawfully, had also followed the closure of a further two adult community education 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.

The council details: “There is no statutory obligation for the council to directly deliver adult education services despite having traditionally done so, however the council has a general duty to facilitate adult education provision across the local area.”