English classes for migrants face the axe under Reform-led council
Linden Kemkaran, the new leader of Kent county council, has launched an investigation into how much the authority is paying for English lessons.
And the Reform UK councillor, who is trying to tackle the council's £780 million debt, said the classes were 'going' if they did not provide 'value for money'.
She told the Daily T podcast: 'I have asked my cabinet member to find me the figures and show me how much it's costing us, and if I don't think that's value for money for the taxpayer it's going, simple as that.'
It comes as part of Reform's push at local government level to root out waste, influenced by the work of Elon Musk's department of government efficiency (Doge) in the US.
'They can use Duolingo'
Cllr Kemkaran, whose council is the largest led by Reform, told the podcast that immigrants could use language apps such as Duolingo free.
She explained: 'I've just come out of my first informal cabinet meeting five minutes ago, talking to my cabinet member for education and skills.
'She has found out that Kent county council is paying for classes in adult education centres up and down the county that are teaching English as a second language.
'Now I'm saying to my cabinet member, 'Could we look into this? How much is this costing us? Why are we paying to teach people English as a second language? Shouldn't the onus be on the individual if you come to this country?'
'You can use Duolingo on your phone for nothing. You can use apps.'
Local authorities in England are allotted Central Government funding from the Department for Education to offer adult education programmes.
That budget is used to fund provision for a range of programmes, such as technical qualifications, maths, digital skills and English as a Foreign Language (ESOL) courses.
Local authorities can decide how to allocate the cash, subject to statutory requirements. Kent county council could in principle stop funding ESOL provision and direct the money elsewhere.
The council cannot choose, however, to use the central Government funding for anything other than adult skills programmes.
Some councils put additional money into funding adult education courses, but it is unclear if Kent does so.
Asked whether her position was compatible with Reform's push for migrants to speak English to integrate, she said: 'We can absolutely be Reformers cancelling English classes for people who don't speak the lingo, if it's costing KCC a lot of money'.
Cllr Kemkaran said she would also be looking into whether the classes could be done remotely to save money.
Kent is the first council in England to have a Doge unit set up, and the leader confirmed she had created a Doge position in her council cabinet, as well as a 'deputy Doge' role.
A report into opportunity and integration led by Baroness Casey in 2016 recommended that community-based English language provision be improved to bolster social cohesion.
In 2020, Robert Jenrick, as communities minister, announced a £5.1 million fund to provide language classes in 30 areas across England, which he said would help immigrants to make a 'positive contribution to the UK'.
Funding has also been given in grants from the Education and Skills Funding Agency, now part of the Department for Education, since 2007.
The number of students starting funded ESOL courses fell by 36 per cent between 2009-10 and 2016-17, the most up-to-date figures.
Government funding from the adult education budget fell more sharply, by 56 per cent in real terms over the same period.
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