A Cornwall Council committee has voted not to support its own council’s decision to close seven adult education centres across the Duchy.

The move to close the hubs has previously been labelled “vindictive”, “chaotic”, “short-sighted” and handled “appallingly”.

The Adult Education Board of Governors endorsed council strategic director Phil Mason’s decision to close the centres last month, following “formal staff consultation and targeted engagement with learners, local councillors and town councils”.

Anger greeted the news that centres are due to close in 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 and, the council says, different ways of working with partners and moving to online provision will allow most courses to continue in a different format, an alternative location or through another learning provider.

The board reviewed feedback from recent targeted engagement and recommended that the proposed closures should proceed, but that no closures or redundancies should take place before February 28. The announcement came a week after over 100 staff across the council’s various departments were told they face redundancy, and the Cornwall Council monitoring officer decided that “extended engagement” should take place “leading to a new decision”.

The matter was raised in the final minutes of a meeting of the council’s economic growth and development scrutiny committee yesterday (Tuesday, January 14) while discussing a Workforce and Skills Strategy.

Conservative councillor Peter Perry proposed that “the decision to close the adult education centres is reconsidered given their relevance to the Workforce and Skills Strategy”. There was some dispute over the issue, with fellow Tory councillor Peter Guest saying he was reluctant for it to be included as a recommendation as the closure decision was currently out for public consultation.

The recommendation was changed to “Any decision to close the adult education centres would not be supported by this committee given their relevance to the Workforce and Skills Strategy”.

A council solicitor warned that it wasn’t part of the topic and believed it was something for a separate process, “but if you’re adamant that it goes in…”. Committee chair and Independent councillor Tim Dwelly interjected that he was indeed adamant it should be included in the recommendations.

“I understand there are some colleagues who don’t want us to have this vote,” he said. Cllr Barbara Ellenbroek, the Conservative administration’s portfolio holder for children and families, argued it was not a committee decision as it was ultimately strategic director Phil Mason’s decision to make.

“We can have a view as a committee of what we think and that’s all we’re doing here,” responded Cllr Dwelly. The vote to include the recommendation was won with seven councillors in favour and two against.