An update on Marle Hall 05/08/2021
On 8 July, Warwickshire County Council’s Cabinet took the decision that Marle Hall, the County Council’s residential facility for outdoor education activities, will close on a permanent basis on Friday 22 October 2021.
This is not a decision that the Council has taken lightly. As evidenced by the petition of over 7,000 signatures that was presented to us earlier this year, we know that Marle Hall has been a much-loved and valued facility over the last 50 years, and it has delivered a range of activities that have enhanced social skills and personal development of many residents in Warwickshire and beyond.
However, Marle Hall exists within an open and competitive market, with schools able to choose from around 50 other providers within a similar radius. Over the last 7 years it has been consistently under-utilised and the cost of running the service has not been met by the income it has generated. If it continued to operate, it would need significant investment and as a result, the costs to the Council, both revenue losses and capital maintenance, would be likely to reach more than £850,000 over the next 10 years.
Outdoor residential trips remain a key part of Warwickshire County Council’s commitment to outdoor education and our schools will continue to have a choice of a wide range of residential outdoor education providers. The decision was taken in light of the knowledge that there is plenty of availability in the market through which our schools and young people can still access outdoor education.
Cllr Jeff Morgan, portfolio holder for Children, Families and Education, said
“We know that many people will be saddened to hear this news, perhaps because they have fond memories of their own experiences at Marle Hall or believe strongly in the role of outdoor education for children. I want to reassure them that we do too, and this decision does not change our commitment to outdoor education at all.
“However, we have a responsibility to make sure we are spending public money wisely and so sometimes have difficult choices to make. Schools are free to choose any provider they like, and the council is under no legal duty to offer an outdoor facility of our own to schools. The Grade II listed building needs a huge amount of work to bring it up to the standard that visitors expect, to be fully accessible by those with physical disabilities and to be able to operate more efficiently. So reluctantly, I’m afraid we must be led by our heads, and not our hearts”.
Any existing bookings that cannot go ahead will have all payments fully refunded and schools offered support to find an alternative provider.
Addendum
We understand that there have been some questions over the decision-making process and the apparent lack of consultation over the future of Marle Hall. In particular, that the documentation relating to the decision were not made public.
In most circumstances, local authorities are required to publish agendas and reports in advance of council meetings, so that they can be viewed by the public. However, there are times when legislation makes certain categories of information exempt from this requirement. In the case of Marle Hall, the documents were classified as exempt because of the financial and personal information they contained. In particular, they were likely to identify individuals, information that relates to the financial or business affairs of any particular person and information relevant to ongoing employment consultations.
In addition, we can confirm that no formal public consultation took place. Marle Hall is a non-statutory traded service and so there is no express duty for the council to consult on its future. In such circumstances, we consider what approach is appropriate to make sure we are acting fairly. In the case of Marle Hall, this meant we consulted with those people who were likely to be directly affected by the decision in line with our employment law duties.
Any representations made to us were still considered carefully, including the public petition presented to us in person on 16 March 2021, before a decision was made.
For any media enquiries, please contact newsteam@warwickshire.gov.uk.
Marle Hall FAQS
For Marle Hall FAQs, visit www.warwickshire.gov.uk/marlehallfaqs