Adult Education centres in East Cornwall could remain open despite being erased from the Link into Learning leaflet.

The fate of the centres is hanging in the balance after Cornwall Council’s monitoring officer requested a period of further engagement. Representations from councillors in the affected areas had argued that engagement with local stakeholders and users had been inadequate.

A new decision by the strategic director of Sustainable Growth and Development is imminent and could reverse the decision announced on December 18 to close all East Cornwall centres leaving just Liskeard serving the east of the county.

The promotional leaflets for the adult education service were produced in early December and are promoting the Link into Learning service which, come March, is planned to only have centres in Helston, Hayle, Camborne, Falmouth, Truro, St Dennis, Newquay, Liskeard, Bodmin and Bude.

Adult Education Tutor in Saltash and Torpoint Jenny Hughes said: “We have a new year’s leaflet every year but receiving this one was a shock as I thought they would wait until a final decision was made.

“The map on the back says it all. South East Cornwall is not even on there.”

A spokesperson for Cornwall Council said: “The strategic director made a decision last month following a programme of engagement with service users and providers.

“That decision is being revisited following a further period of engagement with divisional members, with an outcome expected this week.

“Adult Education leaflets are sent out each year in January. This year’s leaflets were sent out in error based on December’s decision.”

In total seven centres, most in East Cornwall, were due to close on February 28 including Callington and Saltash.

Callington Library hosted adult education after it was moved from the pannier market but locals say it wasn’t promoted properly and the provision closed in 2024.

Cllr Andrew Long for Callington and St Dominic said: “It is incredibly frustrating that increasingly we are being treated as second class citizens in eastern Cornwall.

“Whether it’s the Health Service, National Highways, the Tamar bridge, and now adult education, it seems that the East is treated differently than the centre of Cornwall.”

Councillors have also criticised a public consultation by Cornwall Council which opened on November 25, with a decision on closing the centres made less than two weeks later on December 6, according to one Cornwall councillor. The consultation officially closed on December 20, two days after the public announcement of the closures.

Cllr Long added: “I welcome the review but if a consultation means anything then it needs to be a proper consultation and not a tick box exercise, and I and many others feel that the Council’s idea of consultations is just a tick box exercise on a decision already made.”

The poor promotion of the service has been criticised by the affected centres for the reason for numbers of students being so low. In some areas, courses like English for Speakers of other languages (ESOL) needed for Ukrainian refugees, have a long waiting list but no provision.

In a briefing shared with councillors, learners from Saltash, Callington and Torpoint will be expected to travel to Liskeard or across the Tamar to Plymouth for face to face courses.