Mayor cuts English lessons for foreign nationals

English lessons for some foreign nationals are to be cut from next year, the mayor of Lincolnshire has said.

Reform UK's Dame Andrea Jenkyns said the money would be reallocated to improve literacy across the county and to get people into work.

"I want Lincolnshire to be a beacon and make sure no one is illiterate," she said.

Opponents said the move would increase division and make it harder for foreign nationals to integrate.

Under the plans, public funding for English as a second language (ESOL) courses would end in August 2027, with exceptions for people with Hong Kong visas and Ukrainian refugees.

Adult skills training, which is currently available to all, would also be restricted to those who have been living in the UK for three years.

"200,000 people are illiterate in our county. We have to do something – I will not stand idly by and let that happen on my watch," Dame Andrea told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"We will design our new qualification with the business community, higher education and further education to give these people a chance."

She said the changes amounted to an investment in literacy, adding the new qualifications would be "more inclusive" and help end cycles of deprivation.

Funding, previously controlled by the Department for Education, is being transferred to the Greater Lincolnshire Combined County Authority (GLCCA) as part of the government devolution deal.

Almost 75% of 375 responses to a consultation on the proposals were against the move, including organisations involved in education, with a protest taking place outside a meeting of the GLCCA on Wednesday.

One of those involved, Daniel Ramm from Stand Up To Racism Lincolnshire, said: "I want people to be supported to become members of society – this is drawing the bridge up and telling people they're not welcome.

"People want to come here for a better life, and it's a kick in the teeth to make it harder for them.

"Our hospitals are filled with staff who learned English as a second language," he added.

Meanwhile, Labour councillor, Chris Burke, described it as "an anti-community measure, one which would "encourage division and hatred".

The Unison union has also called for a "rethink" on the plans, which it said would see about £1m a year diverted from specialist English teaching.

Regional manager Rachel Hodson said: "These English lessons help people find work, support their families and contribute to their communities. That benefits everyone in Lincolnshire.

"People fleeing war shouldn't be left trying to learn English from an app because their local college course has been axed," she added.

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