Metro Mayor Announces 100% Funding allocation for All Adult Education Budget Providers in Liverpool City Region As Response to Coronavirus


Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram has announced that the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority will pay 100% of agreed funding for all of the providers delivering its Adult Education Budget activities, through to the end of the academic year on 31 July.


The move is intended to provide stability and help to protect the sector during the current uncertainty created by the Coronavirus crisis.


The decision goes further than national government policy, which is that grant-funded providers, namely colleges and local authorities, should be paid in full, whilst other service providers, of which there are 19 in the Liverpool City Region, should rely on the business support packages the government has put in place.


Speaking about the decision, Steve Rotheram, Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said:


“We have decided to pay out 100% of funding for all of our AEB providers because we know how vital the skills sector is to our economy, and how much more important it will be when we get through this crisis, whenever it ends.


“However long this crisis is, we know that it will create a huge economic shock to the UK economy. As we attempt to recover, ensuring that the people of our city region have the right skills to thrive and help local businesses to recover will be more important than ever. 


“By supporting our Adult Education Budget providers at this difficult time we will enable them to support their existing learners as well as the learners of the future.”


Whilst all funding will be allocated, it will be subject to robust monitoring arrangements and any funding deemed to have been spent inappropriately will be recovered from providers.


Under its devolution agreement, the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority took control of its £51.3 million annual AEB funding in August 2019, which has enabled it to take this action.


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