SEVEN Cornish adult education learning centres are to close after Cornwall Council confirmed it had decided to axe the services.

It comes after the Adult Education Board of Governors has endorsed the strategic director’s decision to close seven adult education learning centres, following formal staff consultation and targeted engagement with learners, local councillors and town councils.

The centres proposed for closure 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 with different ways of working with partners and moving to online provision allowing most courses to continue in a different format, an alternative location or through another learning provider.”

A spokesperson for the council said: “The board has reviewed the feedback from the recent targeted engagement and recommended that the proposed closures should proceed, but that no closures or redundancies should take place before the 28 February 2025.

“The Board made this recommendation on the basis of feedback received, particularly to ensure that learners currently enrolled have sufficient time to complete their course.

“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 currently funded by Department for Education, based on the number of learners and courses run. The council will take on the commissioning of adult education from the Academic Year 2025/26.

“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, an alternative location or through another learning provider.

“The seven adult education centres are running at a deficit and given the current financial pressures we face as an authority we have needed to undertake formal staff Consultations and targeted engagement with stakeholders on their closure.”

Cornwall Council says that anyone enrolled at any affected centre will be supported to continue their course, possibly through the transfer to a nearby alternative centre, to an online alternative, or to another provider, such as a college, including Truro and Penwith College and Cornwall College and that they anticipate that current learners will be able to complete their course before centres close.

Cllr Barbara Ellenbroek, Cornwall Council’s portfolio holder with responsibility for adult education, said: “I would like to thank those who have engaged with us during this process. 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.”