Students at an adult education centre which is at risk of closure have said they are “devastated” it might be lost.
Last month, KentOnline reported the Victoria Centre, in Darnley Road, Gravesend, was reportedly being shut down by Kent County Council (KCC).
The centre is said to be in a state of disrepair and unaffordable to fix, so instead the authority is looking for smaller and affordable venues in the town.
Gail Hope, who has attended courses at the facility for several years, said she was shocked to hear the news as the classes on offer have always been popular and booked up.
The 60-year-old added: “I am devastated. It seems such a shame to close it, so many people are going to lose out.
“It is very sad. It is not just about what we are doing, it is about coming together. The community we have here is incredible.
“We have all become like family. For people like me who live alone or are older, it is a really big thing to lose.
“It is a lifeline. It gives me a sense of pride in my community.”
Gail, who lives nearby in the town centre, is currently completing the jewellery and silversmithing course and has even made her daughter’s wedding rings.
“It is a hub which has always been about education,” the grandmother added. “We are losing a lot of our heritage in town and places that are no longer part of our culture.
“We do not want to see another one go. There are so many more things that can be done here to make it more viable.
“I do not think KCC knows what this place means to people.”
Alan Conroy is also enrolled on the jewellery and silversmithing module which is his third course at the Victoria Centre.
The lessons cost £170 for 10 two-hour sessions, averaging around £8.50 per hour, however, the Hartley resident said he would be happy to pay more as he believes it is worth it.
He believes if KCC was to charge more or put on more sessions a week, it would make the adult education centre financially viable.
The 66-year-old said: “We are not only losing opportunities for people to learn but staff and tutors are losing their jobs. It has a knock-on effect.
“I am not suggesting that if it is not viable it should continue but there are so many options. The issue is that I do not think that KCC cares.
“There are massive spaces in there that are not being used. There is space available which could be hired out.
“It is the opportunities everyone will lose if it closes. It is not just the classes that have value, it is a social hub.”
Last month, Gravesham council leader Cllr John Burden said in correspondence with KCC’s cabinet member for education and skills, Cllr Rory Love, Cllr Love appeared to confirm the site’s closure.
However, a KCC spokesperson stated on August 29 that no final decision had yet been made on the future of the adult education centre.
Yet, in an email seen by KentOnline from Cllr Love to Cllr Burden sent on August 14, Cllr Love says KCC is looking to close the site and the decision to do so has been confirmed.
In a statement, Cllr Burden said: “I note with interest the belated comment on recent press articles re my letter to Cllr Roger Gough seeking clarity over KCC’s plans to close the Adult Education Centre at the Victoria Centre in Gravesend.
“My eye was particularly drawn to the line: ‘No final decision has been taken’.
“That is an unequivocal statement. As is a line in an email received by myself as long ago as August 14 from Cllr Rory Love of KCC.
“In his email to me, Cllr Love makes it clear he has been asked to respond by Cllr Gough, making this official correspondence on behalf of that authority.
“Cllr Love states: ‘Now that the appropriate decisions have been ratified, we are able to move forwards with the implementation of these changes’.
“An equally unequivocal statement. So, one of those statements is factually incorrect.
“KCC owes it to current and disappointed future users of the Victoria Centre to explain which one of those two comments is false and how it came to be issued publicly.
“I say to Cllr Gough and Cllr Love, now is not the time for obfuscation and contradictory statements.
“For the sake of those subject to some of the starkest deprivations and disadvantages in the country let alone the county, now is the time for honesty and openness. It is the least they deserve.”
A KCC spokesperson said: “The government’s recent change to focus their funding on supporting work skills development, and their rule change to prevent the subsidy for delivering courses for leisure and for repeat learners, mean that the Victoria Centre is no longer viable for Adult Education delivery in Gravesham.
“A more suitable, smaller alternative location is being sought, and additional courses will be offered from community venues across Gravesham.
“Whilst the funding changes mean that there will be fewer courses offered by Adult Education in the Victoria Centre, there is further work to be done around the timescale for the revised arrangements.”
KCC were asked to clarify the discrepancy but did not respond at the time of publication.
