LGA responds to Social Market Foundation Adult Education Report

Commenting on the Social Market Foundation’s report saying that cuts in adult education funding must be reversed to tackle the unemployment crisis, Cllr Sir Richard Leese (@SirRichardLeese), Chair of the Local Government Association’s (@LGAcomms) City Regions Board said:

“Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we face a growing and stark unemployment crisis, which demonstrates the huge importance of council-commissioned Adult and Community Education services in transforming the lives of the 600,000 adults who use them every year.

“Councils have seen funding for these services halved over the last decade, which is why the Government needs to urgently ensure that councils receive the financial support they need to continue to deliver these vital courses. Councils and combined authorities also need greater powers to co-ordinate training and employment opportunities, as they are best placed to provide these in their local areas.

“We are calling for the Government to introduce a COBRA-style response to our looming unemployment crisis in the Spending Review, with councils able to play a leading role in improving skills and life chances of the most vulnerable members of our communities.”