500 signatures reached
To: Chancellor Rachel Reeves
6% is a cut too far - Protect Adult Learning
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At a time when Government should be building back opportunities and infrastructure, they're cutting the Adult Skills Fund - blocking the ability of thousands of people in England to access the adult education they deserve to support them to get on in life.
Ahead of the Spending Review, we demand that the Chancellor:
Ahead of the Spending Review, we demand that the Chancellor:
- Reverse the short-sighted cuts to the 2025/26 Adult Skills Fund.
- Return the adult education budget to 2010 levels by the end of the Parliament. Funding for classroom-based adult learning has fallen by two-thirds, from £5.1 billion in the early 2000s to £1.7 billion in 2023–24.
- Spread funding for community adult education across multiple Government departments as community adult education delivers across all the Plan for Change missions and milestones.
- Ringfence an uplift for the post-19 workforce who are yet to see the same funding uplifts as teachers and college lecturers.
Why is this important?
It’s no secret that after decades of cuts, adult learning remains woefully underfunded whilst continuing to deliver impressive outcomes not just in skills but for health and wellbeing, work progression and community building amongst others.
However, unless the government reverses the trend of cuts to adult education, learning will be shut off from those who need it most.
Ahead of the Government's Spending Review, the Department for Education has announced that next year's Adult Skills Fund will be cut. The Fund is split between the Mayoral Combined Authorities and the central agency, the ESFA. The ESFA’s budget will be reduced by 6%, whilst the Mayors’ skills budgets can expect a reduction of 2-3%. This cut will affect thousands of learners across the whole country.
We still have no guarantees that it won’t be cut further in the Spending Review.
Ahead of the Government's Spending Review, the Department for Education has announced that next year's Adult Skills Fund will be cut. The Fund is split between the Mayoral Combined Authorities and the central agency, the ESFA. The ESFA’s budget will be reduced by 6%, whilst the Mayors’ skills budgets can expect a reduction of 2-3%. This cut will affect thousands of learners across the whole country.
We still have no guarantees that it won’t be cut further in the Spending Review.
"The WEA has 100% impacted positively on my life.
My friend said just come along and see the cookery class, so I went and absolutely loved it.
It was amazing, and through that I ended up volunteering at the school's breakfast club. Now I've moved on to teaching assistant training at the local community centre and I'm doing the placement at the children's school.
Honestly, I was stuck at home, down in the dumps and absolutely doing nothing. But now I'm out four days a week working and at classes. it's like a career the WEA has created for me."
Joanne, a WEA learner
How it will be delivered
Ahead of the Spending Review announcement, we will deliver the petition to Chancellor Rachel Reeves, and the Minister for Skills Jacqui Smith.
