The People Scrutiny Committee of Derbyshire Council is scheduled to consider future options for the Derbyshire Adult Community Education Service (DACES) and a redesign of the Children's Services home to school transport policy. The meeting will also include a session for public questions.

Future Options to Deliver DACES

The committee is set to review feedback from a consultation on future options for delivering the Derbyshire Adult Community Education Service (DACES). The consultation, which ran from 18 December 2025 to 22 February 2026, sought public and stakeholder input on how to increase participation in learning and improve outcomes, with a focus on ensuring the service is responsive, inclusive, and impactful for Derbyshire residents who need it most.

A total of 1,189 responses were received through online, in-person, and facilitated sessions, indicating a broad mix of public, current learners, and Derbyshire County Council staff. The feedback suggests that while awareness of local adult learning opportunities is high, gaps remain in reaching non-users, particularly in deprived and rural areas.

Respondents indicated that the primary motivations for learning are to gain new skills and qualifications for work and progression, with confidence, independence, and self-esteem also identified as major benefits. Wellbeing, enjoyment, and social connection were also cited as important for building stronger communities. The consultation highlighted a need for provision to be flexible enough to meet these diverse learning needs.

Priorities for provision include basic skills (English, maths, and digital), vocational routes (such as care, construction, and hospitality), and employability skills. Health and wellbeing, digital help, clear progression routes, and learning support were identified as important for retention and achievement. In areas of high deprivation, creative and confidence-building courses were valued. The implication is a need for a balanced offer that supports both the inclusive growth of the county and the health and wellbeing of its residents.

Regarding where learning should happen, existing adult education centres, community venues, and libraries were favoured. However, venue safety, facilities, and accessibility were deemed more important than the specific location. Over 80% of non-users expressed a strong desire for outreach services, suggesting a need to enhance local reach through deeper partnerships within communities, employers, health, and other public services.

In-person delivery was the clear preference across all respondents, with blended learning (a mixture of in-person and online delivery) being a strong alternative. In deprived areas, one-to-one support and group workshops ranked higher. The implication is to maintain a physical footprint and targeted supported pathways.

Practical preferences indicated that Monday to Thursday were the preferred days of the week, and afternoons and early evenings were the preferred times of the day. Most respondents were willing to travel between 2–5 miles, followed by up to 10 miles. This suggests programmes should be designed around school hours and other local hub activity, avoiding over-centralisation within a locality.

The biggest perceived barriers to learning were cost, followed by a lack of awareness and a limited course range. Transport and caring commitments also reduced access. In deprived areas, confidence was identified as a key barrier. The implication is to ensure provision is accessible and inclusive by design, through targeted outreach, affordable pricing, flexible delivery, and appropriate advice and guidance.

The proposed outcomes aim to support inclusive growth in Derbyshire by maintaining pathways into work, protecting tailored wellbeing, confidence-building, and independent-living programmes, strengthening reasonable adjustments and inclusive learning environments, and maintaining a physical footprint supported by community hubs and outreach. Potential risks include reputational damage if communities, funders, and partners perceive a negative impact on quality or access, intervention triggered by a dip in performance, participation drops leading to widening inequalities, and cost pressures excluding low-income learners.

Children's Services Home to School Transport Policy Redesign

The committee is scheduled to receive information regarding the redesign of the Children's Services home to school transport policy. Derbyshire County Council currently operates 1,140 transport routes daily for 10,000 children to support education access. The review of policies follows updated government guidance and a 10-week public consultation, which included engagement with families, schools, Parent Carer Forums, and cross-border authorities. The final policies are due to be published by statutory deadlines: Home to School Transport by 19 September and Post-16 by 31 May.

Proposed changes to the policy for both school-aged children and post-16 pupils include revised charges to align with benchmarks, the introduction of pickup points to reduce door-to-door transport, and the implementation of personal travel budgets and enhanced independent travel training for SEND pupils. Personal travel budgets would provide families with funding to choose suitable transport options, while independent travel training aims to equip young people with SEND with skills for safe and confident independent travel, promoting independence and inclusion. These changes are intended to reduce reliance on council transport, encourage life skills, and improve long-term outcomes for young people. Assessments will be made on individual child needs before a transport offer is made.

Concerns have been raised regarding the price increase in the spare seats policy, which is proposed to rise from £480 to £570 annually. Officers have confirmed that Derbyshire County Council's costs remain below neighbouring authorities, and low-income families will still receive a discount. The cost of the service had not been reviewed for some time. It was highlighted that the redesign is not intended to remove services but to review those offered. The bidding system for home to school transport contracts will also be under review as part of the service redesign, and it has been suggested that the authority liaise with the East Midlands Combined County Authority on bus services.

Public Questions

The committee will allocate a maximum of 30 minutes for public questions. Members of the public who are on the Derbyshire County Council register of electors, or are Derbyshire County Council tax payers or non-domestic tax payers, may ask questions of the committee or attending council officers. Questions must be submitted in writing or by email to the Director of Legal Services no later than 12 noon three working days before the committee meeting. Each person may submit only one question, and no more than one question may be asked on behalf of one organisation about a single topic. Questions must not exceed 200 words, be about a matter for which the committee has responsibility, or affect Derbyshire. They should also not be defamatory, frivolous, offensive, substantially the same as a previous question, or require the disclosure of confidential or exempt information. Questions received by the deadline will be shared with the respondent, with a written response requested by 5pm on the last working day before the meeting. A schedule of questions and responses will be made available 30 minutes prior to the meeting. The Chair will refer to the questions and responses and invite each questioner to put forward a supplementary question, which must arise directly out of the original question or the reply. Any questions not answered within the allocated time will be answered in writing.