Croydon’s failed Mayor, embarrassed by having his secret plans to axe the council’s adult education programme exposed, has issued a belated explanation to councillors. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES
After months of secrecy and suspicion, Jason Perry, Croydon’s failed Mayor, has finally issued a statement to the borough’s elected councillors about thefate of CALAT, Croydon’s long-standing and widely admired adult education service.
Perry was forced into offering some kind of explanation by this website’s exclusive report earlier this week, which revealed the Mayor’s intention to outsource adult education – that is, cut costs – while forcing CALAT out of its home base in the Croydon Clocktower.
Inside Croydon has obtained a copy of piss-poor Perry’s email to councillors sent on Thursday. It begins with the heading: “Looking to the future of adult learning in Croydon”. It appeared as if it had been drafted by AI.
Note the studied avoidance of mentioning CALAT at the beginning of Perry’s email.
There’s no denial of the closure, either. Just as he did when closing four public libraries or outsourcing the council’s services for carers, Perry is seeking to cut corners, and cut costs, by hollowing out another well-respected council service.
Perry wrote: “Croydon is growing and changing, and so are the skills residents need to succeed. New industries, changing employer demands and advances in technology mean adult learning must continue to evolve.”
One CALAT staffer has told Inside Croydon that while employees’ morale was already at rock bottom, Perry’s statement has made a bad situation worse. “Patronising, or what? CALAT’s syllabus has been constantly evolving and up-dating every year. That’s no reason to outsource the service.”
Perry’s note continued: “Public funding for adult education is also increasingly focused on helping people progress into employment, further study and better-paid jobs. As part of our work to support the council’s priorities and long-term financial sustainability, we are reviewing the future of Croydon Adult Learning and Training (CALAT) to ensure it continues to deliver the greatest benefit for residents and communities.”
Perry’s announcement of a “review” only comes after CALAT has already been told it is being forced out of its Croydon Clocktower base. There has been no discussion or debate of the need for such a change at council meetings. “You normally make the changes after having considered the findings of a review, not before the review is conducted,” the CALAT staffer said.
“This is an outright admission that this whole exercise is a foregone conclusion.”
Perry writes: “For many years, CALAT has helped thousands of residents improve their English, gain qualifications, develop skills and build confidence. We are proud of that legacy and remain committed to ensuring adult learning continues to support residents throughout their lives.
“However, resident and employer needs have changed. There is growing demand for digital, technical and employability skills, alongside more flexible learning opportunities that lead directly to employment, career progression or further study.”
CALAT, if Perry or his staff had bothered to check, offers more than 500 courses each year, among them digital skills and up-skilling lessons and qualifications in conjunction with employers.
“We are exploring options for a financially sustainable adult learning service that responds to these changing needs and helps more residents achieve positive outcomes.”
This is where Perry really does earn his dunce’s hat.
The majority of CALAT’s funding comes from external grants, not from Council Tax. CALAT receives grants from the Greater London Authority and the Education and Skills Funding Agency. Plus, it receives thousands of pounds in fees from its students, who pay up to £600 each for a typical 12-week course. CALAT also receives payments for room lettings and commercial training partnerships.
When Croydon last considered outsourcing the service, they found that CALAT contributes roughly £500,000 per year to the council to cover shared corporate overheads (such as HR, legal and IT systems).
Only very recently has CALAT come under budget pressures caused by an unbudgeted internal council property service charges, resulting in a £200,000 overspend – the equivalent of two years’ pay for Mayor Perry.
“Our aim is to strengthen opportunities for residents and businesses by providing greater choice, flexible ways to learn and stronger links to employers and training partners,” Perry says.
The “flexible ways to learn” line is the giveaway about what lies behind Perry’s plan: he wants to switch to a lower-cost, remote-learning system, which could potentially see hundreds of CALAT teachers’ jobs axed.
And then Perry produced the usual old flannel: “We remain committed to supporting those who need us most, including people learning English, adults with additional learning needs, parents returning to work, people looking to retrain, and those who have been out of employment for some time.”
Under a heading “Reviewing our current CALAT service and review timetable”, Perry put this forward: “We are now working with independent agency Mime, to carry out a review of our CALAT service and to provide recommendations on options for the future of the service.
“The review will take place between 3 August and 18 September.” Thus Perry is informing our elected councillors more than a month after he commissioned his time-and-motion people.
Notice to quit: despite contributing to the council’s income streams, CALAT is being forced out of its home next to the Town Hall
“Once complete, Mime will provide an evidence-based assessment of the service, and all options, including risks and mitigations, for a future model.
“Any proposals arising from the independent review for the future delivery model for CALAT will be considered through the council’s established governance and decision-making processes,” said Perry, in the certain knowledge that he – or the bean-counter officials who are really running the council – have already determined the doom of CALAT.
“The options and recommendations for a future model will be presented to cabinet in October, where a decision will be made on the next steps.
“We recognise the importance of involving staff, learners, trade unions and key partners throughout this process.” Bit late now, though.
“As the review progresses, staff and recognised trade unions will be kept informed of developments and engaged on emerging proposals. Once the independent review has been completed and any preferred options have been identified, we will undertake appropriate consultation and engagement before any final decisions on the new model are made.” Cart, horse, etc.
“Feedback received through this process will be considered as part of the decision-making process and alongside the findings of the independent review, financial considerations, risks, and the council’s statutory responsibilities.”
It was only at this stage of his email that Perry addressed how his council has already started to impact on CALAT’s work, by kicking them out of the Clocktower.
“During October, we will relocate the majority of CALAT classes from Croydon Clocktower to Strand House in Thornton Heath. A smaller teaching footprint will be retained in central Croydon to support the delivery of key courses that require a central location and to maintain accessibility for learners.
“We are working closely with colleagues in facilities management and Croydon digital services to plan the move and make sure that Strand House is ready to accommodate courses. We will keep all learners informed of the new locations for their classes and will review course timetables to allow sufficient travel time between venues where required.”
CALAT staff and their unions are currently conducting their own review – of how to challenge Perry’s pre-ordained decisions and to axe a service which contributes £500,000 per year to the cash-strapped council’s budgets.
Read more: After closing libraries, now Philistine Perry takes axe to CALAT
Read more: Booked! Mayor Perry deceives over destruction of library stock
Read more: Perry admits he has no idea when work will start on Purley Pool
Read more: Perry drives a black cab through council’s consultation rules
PAID ADS: To advertise your services or products to our 10,000 weekday visitors to the site, as featured on Google News Showcase, email us inside.croydon@btinternet.com for our unbeatable ad rates
- If you have a news story about life in or around Croydon, or want to publicise your residents’ association or business, or if you have a local event to promote, please email us with full details at inside.croydon@btinternet.com
As featured on Google News Showcase
- Our comments section on every report provides all readers with an immediate “right of reply” on all our content. Our comments policy can be read by clicking here
Inside Croydon is a member of the Independent Community News Network
