Council plans to close down a service set up to help adults improve their reading and writing skills were delayed at a meeting yesterday.
Moray Council approved proposals to axe £164,000 of funding for its Essential Skills service when it agreed its budget in February for the following year.
It will lead to the job losses of four staff working to help residents develop their ability to read, write and solve problems.
Councillors voted yesterday 12-11 to defer a decision on cutting the service until June so that further information can be gathered on the impact the closure will have on local residents.
However, the move was criticised by key council figures in the administration who asked where else the money could be found to plug the gap if the service was spared.
During the debate yesterday, independent councillor Derek Ross asked for this decision to be deferred until June for more information to be gathered.
He said: “I have grave concerns about cutting the Essential Skills resource as over the last three years the amount of 18 to 24-year-olds using it has grown significantly higher and there is a big drop in people staying on at school after S4.
“Pupils are trying to make their way in life, and the council is slamming the door in their face, what happened to life-long learning?
“What’s the point in spending money on ELC (Early Learning Childcare) if some parents aren’t able to support them through school?”
Council leader Graham Leadbitter challenged councillors to come up with a solution on how to plug the financial gap if the service was continued.
It helped 256 adults during 2017/18 with reading, writing and various other life skills.
He said: “This is a very difficult one that was tough to take but it is a substantial amount of money.
“As with any tough proposal, where would that money come from, there are no other options to balance that off.
“Previously we had negotiations on a variety of different things, including toilets on the grounds of equality and other issues as well.
“It’s there to balance the budget and there is not a lot of alternatives out there.”