Do we need a specific dedicated building in order to provide adult education courses? Why can't we go back to using existing school buildings in the evenings- I'm sure we used to do that- therefore keeping these otherwise expensive to provide places fully utilised. When I lived in Glasgow I worked for the Council in the evenings on reception on such a school which was open in the evenings and weekends to the public for courses and swimming. I know that Forest Hill Boys offers sports facilities to the public but other schools don't really seem to do this.

My point badly made probably was that an undertaking seemed to be given by the Council to maintain as many courses as possible but holding some of the studio based ones at other centres.

My point about this government is that is requiring local authorities to make cuts at speed. You might accept the arguments for doing so but what this is likely to mean is that decisions are made which are not properly thought through which can itself lead to mistakes being made that can have their own costs. I don't think the Council in this case has time to work through a series of options for this, it has to identify savings in adult education as in every other sector and fairly quickly in order to survive at all. Idon't think therefore by any account that the retention of Kirkdale for this purpose is realistic. It might be realistic for primary school expansion or even a mixed use site for housing and education however its probably not going to get its market value in a forced sale or until things improve economically.