Decision details

To seek approval for the schedule for fees for Adult Learning provision in 2011/12.  There has been no rise in fees for two years and this schedule sets out new fee levels whilst building in a lower fee rate for targeted work.

With regard to paragraph 5, Mr Bardsley reported that he had written to the Skills Funding Agency requesting that the Council be given more leeway in respect of the restrictions on categories of learners entitled to fee remission within the Personal and Community Development Learning (PCDL) funding stream; and had  been advised that the Council would be permitted to set its own fee remission criteria for the PCDL programme, which, he suggested, could include some of the categories of eligible learners from previous years.

The Cabinet Member AGREED  to (revisions to officer recommendations in bold italics):

(a)               approve the fees schedule for 2011/12, as set out in paragraph 2 above and in Annex 1;

(b)               approve the programme-specific fees for 2011/12, as set out in paragraph 3 above and in Annex 1;

(c)               approve the changes to discounts policy for 2011/12, as set out in paragraph 4 above;

(d)               approve the changes to fee remission policy for 2011/12, as set out in paragraph 5 above;

(e)              instruct the officers to carry out a regular annual review of the Fees Policy in the future; and

(f)                instruct the Head of Strategy & Communications to carry out good media coverage to ensure that the public are aware that these arrangements represent a fairer system and that they will reach those learners who need financial support.