Adult learning services across Croydon are at risk after being hit by a "staggering" £600,000 cut in Government funding.

Croydon Adult Learning and Training (CALAT) will lose the money from its 2015/16 budget, throwing the immediate future of parts of its provision into doubt.

Labour and Conservative councillors both condemned the cut as "indefensible" at last night's full council meeting.

CALAT, which provides hundreds of courses to thousands of students at centres in Croydon town centre, Thornton Heath, New Addington and Coulsdon, is likely to face further cuts in the coming years, said Croydon Council leader Tony Newman.

He said: "As a result of a staggering £600,000 cut from government to our adult skills budget for 2015/16, we have no choice but to review our provision of CALAT services across the borough.

"This will have a big impact but we are absolutely determined to protect as many CALAT services as we possibly can."

The Labour and Conservative groups each voted unanimously in favour of a motion, proposed by Coun Newman, calling on the Government to end "in-year cuts" - those which take effect within the current financial year.

It comes after Croydon Council learned in July, three months into the financial year, that it was to lose £4m in Government funding for looking after child asylum-seekers.

Coun Newman is to meet ministers on Wednesday to pressure them to reverse the decision.