Officers want Orpington's adult education centre shut, though 82% of survey answers opposed it. The Executive decides on 25 November, with a new base at The Link.
Bromley Council officers are recommending that the Poverest Centre in Orpington closes, even though most people who answered the council’s survey opposed it. Of 288 people who answered the question, 82% (236) disagreed with the plan.
The council’s Executive will take the decision on Wednesday 25 November. Councillors on the Children, Education and Families scrutiny committee will discuss it first, on Wednesday 18 November. Both dates are in report CEF26057, published with the committee’s papers this week.
This is the council’s second attempt to close the centre. The report says the Court of Appeal quashed the January 2025 closure decision on 10 July 2026, “for failure to consult service users with learning disabilities and carers”. We reported the new consultation when it opened in September.
What officers want
The recommendation is unchanged from the consultation. Adult education would move to a “hub and spoke” model:
- the Kentwood Centre in Penge stays as the main hub
- courses spread out to libraries and other council buildings
- the Poverest site becomes 42 affordable family homes, which already have planning permission
What is new is a base in the south of the borough. Officers propose The Link youth centre on Midfield Way, St Paul’s Cray, BR5 2QL. The report says it is less than two miles from Poverest and on bus routes.
The Link would be timetabled for adult education three full days a week from September 2027. It would mainly host courses for the most vulnerable learners with learning disabilities, so they can keep one familiar route, parking outside and full-day courses. The building has room for four classes at once, including a large hall and outdoor space.
The Link is used by a school service during the day until Easter 2027. Youth services, children and family services and CASPA, an autism support service, also use it at other times. The report says some adaptations could be made next summer from its existing refurbishment budget.
What the consultation found
The survey ran from 7 September to 18 October. In total 391 people took part, and 89% were Bromley residents. The report and its survey analysis give these results:
- 82% (236 of 288) disagreed with closing the centre and moving to hub and spoke
- 71% (204 of 287) thought they would be negatively affected
- 44% (117 of 266) said they would stop going to adult education courses entirely
- among learners with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), that rose to 58% (61 of 106)
- 64% of 252 people picked Orpington as the place that would suit them best for a course
A separate Easy Read survey got 75 responses, almost all from learners with learning disabilities. The report says tutors worried that it “was not fully understood by all students” despite the format. Ten drop-in sessions drew 85 people, and a presentation on 7 October drew 50.
The report sums up the feedback plainly. Poverest is valued “not solely as a place of learning but as a place of belonging, routine and social connection.”
Who uses Poverest now
The report gives these figures for October 2026:
| Only Poverest | Only Kentwood | Both | |
|---|---|---|---|
| All learners (1,599) | 295 | 1,280 | 24 |
| SEND learners (98) | 80 | 11 | 7 |
So most adult education learners already study in Penge. But most learners with learning disabilities study at Poverest. The report says some have attended courses there several days a week “for over a decade”.
Why officers still say close it
The report gives three reasons:
- the building costs about £120,000 a year to run
- it needs repairs whatever happens, including asbestos removal and drainage work, and has no Changing Places toilet
- the site can take 42 affordable homes, at a time when 4,225 households are on the housing register and about 1,527 homeless households are in temporary accommodation
Keeping the building with basic repairs would cost an estimated £1.7m. A full refurbishment would cost about £3m. Officers estimate that heating other buildings for extra classes would cost about £7,600 a year.
The report also notes the risk of another court challenge. That risk, it says, is reduced by the consultation and the equality assessment, provided the Executive clearly records its reasons. It adds that the cleaner and caretaker posts at Poverest would be deleted.
What happens next
If the Executive approves closure on 25 November, the report sets out this timetable:
- January 2027: curriculum planning starts for the whole service
- March 2027: an operational plan names the spoke sites and the draft course timetable
- April 2027: the course timetable is confirmed once GLA grant funding is known
- September 2027: courses start in the new venues
The report says the timetable for learners with learning disabilities should be designed with them and their families. It also recommends travel training and advocacy support for anyone who has to change venue.
What it means for you
If you or someone you care for studies at Poverest, nothing changes this term. The decision on 25 November can be called in, so it may not take effect immediately. The 18 November scrutiny meeting is at 7pm and open to the public. Its agenda and papers are on the council’s website.
You can raise concerns with your ward councillors for St Mary Cray before the meeting. The council’s contact for the report is its Assistant Director for Culture and Regeneration, on 020 8313 4456.
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