The Ceredigion Music Service will be restructured to make it sustainable and to make savings within the Schools Service.
The service was discussed in the Learning Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 9 May. The committee made recommendations which were presented to the Cabinet on 21 May. The Cabinet noted the recommendations.
The decision to restructure the music service is made by senior council officers after councillors approved proposals to make savings of £499,000 from the Schools Service budget on 21 February 2019. This decision was made after cuts of £39m across the council over the last seven years. The council needs to save another £6m in the current financial year.
Under the new structure, all pupils will continue to be able to access music tuition for a variety of instruments. Pupils will also continue to benefit from a wide range of ensembles, orchestras and choirs. All pupils who receive free school meals will be able to access the service for free. Under the new structure, the service will keep all income generated and could provide music tuition in places apart from schools. The number of staff needed will be based on the number of pupils who receive music tuition.
Meinir Ebbsworth is the Corporate Lead Officer for Schools. She said, “I understand that the savings that we have to make concerns many people who rightly value the Music Service very highly. We wholeheartedly want to see the service flourish in the future and want to achieve that at a time when our budgets have been cut severely over a period of years.”
21/05/2019