One of England’s oldest and largest adult education organisations is considering legal action after it was denied grant funding from a new combined authority.
The “shocking and devastating” decision by the North East Mayoral Combined Authority (NEMCA) to refuse a guaranteed annual adult education budget (AEB) contract to the WEA puts around 1,600 learning places and over 70 jobs at risk.
Simon Parkinson, chief executive and general secretary of the charity formerly called the Workers’ Educational Association, told FE Week the verdict was sudden and unexpected given the organisation’s grant-funding contracts in other devolved mayoral combined authorities and assurances from the Department for Education that WEA is eligible for grant funding.
The decision to “defund” WEA’s work in the area amounts to £1.3 million hit to the charity’s budget.
