Taking 2023 higher

Take on the new year with an adult part-time course at Middlesbrough College!

Want a job promotion? Career change? Ready to get back to work?

Middlesbrough College will support you to take on new challenges, upskill, retrain, or enhance your CV. We offer an extensive range of adult part-time courses that are designed to help you achieve your goals.

Many of our courses may be FREE depending on your circumstances and could boost your job prospects and help you access new opportunities!

Develop your skill set, achieve your career ambitions and progress.

Everything we do is centred on giving you the best experience whilst studying here and our friendly team are here to help. We offer courses that are flexible, with evening and online options to suit busy lifestyles and commitments.

We welcome students of all ages and backgrounds and are proud to offer a supportive, inclusive environment for those returning to education.

Are you out of work at the moment? Do you need support returning to work or education? Don’t worry, we can help!

Our Adult & Community Learning team can support you with any worries or concerns you have and help you to find a route back into education or work.

We are offering drop-in sessions at 2 Queens Square every Tuesday, 10am - 11am. Come and see us for a cuppa and catch-up!

2 Queens Square is a safe and welcoming environment for all and offers a dedicated space designed for adult learners.

TheWoodsmith Foundation has awarded grants totalling over £315,000 to fund initiatives aimed at supporting those aged 65 and over in the local area. Eight organisations will benefit from funding the Foundation, which is funded by Anglo American, to help them deliver a range of programmes that will help senior citizens from Teesside to Scarborough.

Carers Plus Yorkshire have received £53,196 to support people over 65 with poor mental health with one-to-one support whilst creating new inclusive social activities.

Elizabeth McPherson CEO, Carers Plus Yorkshire, said: “We are delighted to be working with, and supporting residents over 65, who would like to build and maintain their positive mental health.

“The combination of skills between ourselves and Mind will bring a new and strong partnership to the communities we are seeking to serve; over time we hope to capture learning and create a great blueprint to share with other communities and partners.”

Age UK Teesside will use their £40,000 grant to provide benefits advice to those aged 65 and over in Redcar and Cleveland.

“The cost of living crisis is having a profound impact on mental and physical health and has the potential to result in many avoidable deaths this winter and beyond. The Woodsmith Foundation is providing a lifeline to older people in need,” said Grants & Fundraising Manager Laura-Jane Wedgwood.

“The service will help ensure people are claiming their welfare benefit entitlements. Now more than ever, older people are suffering from financial hardship and fuel poverty.”

Woodsmith Foundation Chief Executive Leah Swain said: “We believe people over the age of 65 are a positive asset in our society, but some people might need a helping hand to ensure they can live independently for longer, stay healthy, keep connected to friends, family and their community and enjoy life.

“We are delighted to be able to award funding to a wide range of organisations delivering much needed support to local people including financial advice, help in the home, support for long term health conditions, and opportunities to get out and about and make new friends.”

The Woodsmith Foundation was set up to bring wider community benefits in addition to the positive economic impact of the mine. It has supported projects in Redcar and Cleveland Borough, Scarborough Borough and the North York Moors National Park to the tune of over £1.5million since 2017. Anglo American pledged a four-year, £4m funding package when it acquired the Woodsmith Project in March 2020. For more information on the Foundation, visit www.woodsmithfoundation.org.uk

Budget plan to deal with funding gap to be proposed

Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council is proposing measures which would address a multi-million pound budget gap next year caused by inflation and service demand.

The Council faces the shortfall due to an announcement by the Government that local authority funding for 2023/2024 – which is expected to be confirmed next month – won’t reflect the current high level of inflation.

When the Government determined the level of funding required by local government for this year and next, inflation was forecast to peak at 4% this year. However, the most recent figure is 11.1% and there is no indication that this will fall in the near future.

The Council is also experiencing a huge increase in demand for services – especially in social care – and the cost of providing these services has risen sharply.

This is particularly acute in services which help and care for children and families and providing home to school transport.

In his Autumn Statement, the Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, announced additional funding for social care but the amount the council anticipates receiving leaves a considerable gap between funding and demand in that area.

The Council anticipates an overspend of £5.5m this year. The in-year shortfall was anticipated to be £7.9m but strict cost-control measures implemented by the council have reduced this by £2.4m.

However, demand for social care and home to school transport has meant services for children and families alone is anticipated to be £6.7m over budget this year.

The increased costs of inflation and demand for services is expected to continue into next year and the Council’s Cabinet will consider proposals to save around £9.8m over two years. If approved, the way some services are provided would change and some charges would be introduced, or increased.

It is also proposed to increase Council Tax by 1.99% and the Adult Social Care precept by 2% which, combined, is 1% below the increase assumed by national government.

Full details of the proposals are available at Cabinet papers | Redcar and Cleveland (redcarcleveland.gov.uk)

Cllr Mary Lanigan, Leader of Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, said: “We lobbied Government to set out the financial position we and other councils across the country find ourselves in.

“The majority of the funding we receive is spent on social care for adults and children and the cost of providing this has risen sharply. If someone vulnerable is in need, we can’t look away – we have to help them as they have nowhere else to turn.

“We have no choice in funding services which we are legally obliged to provide and as the cost of these go up, it means we have less to spend on other services which many of our residents use.

“We expect to have a significant shortfall in funding next year due to rising costs and huge demand for our services, but the Chancellor has indicated that we will not receive an increase in funding to cover higher costs caused by inflation. We anticipate receiving extra money for social care but that does not come close to funding the demand we currently have.

“This isn’t lavish spending; the cost of social care has increased with inflation and more and more young and older people are being referred to us. We have a duty to keep the vulnerable safe and our staff do a fantastic job every day making this happen.

“We have faced some very unpalatable decisions about what we can and cannot fund. Councils are the safety net of society, and we must always support vulnerable adults and children in their time of need.

“However, the Government has not recognised the importance of funding this adequately and as a result, I’m afraid that next year we will not be able to provide the levels of service the public need and would like.

“At the same time, we have no choice but to increase Council Tax. I know how much people are struggling with the cost of living, but our only other choice would be to cut the services residents rely on even further.”