The future of yet another Welsh peripatetic music service provider hangs in the balance, as councilors in the City & County of Swansea unitary authority prepare to take a decision on whether or not to stop funding West Glamorgan Youth Music Service.
Savings
4BR understands that a vote will take place on 25th February as part of an overall process to find around £89 million in overall authority savings in the coming years.
West Glamorgan Youth Music Service currently provides music tuition to 16,500 children from both the City & County of Swansea and Neath Port Talbot unitary authorities, with the latter already committed to funding their share of the service's budget, if, as expected, councilors vote to split the service into two parts.
Families to pay
The outcome of the decision will be brought into effect from September this year, with activists against the proposal telling 4BR that families from the City & County of Swansea area will most likely have to pay for their children to receive tuition — with many coming from socially and economically deprived areas.
Currently, the service provides close on 600 hours of wide-spread peripatetic support in the local authority area — including nearly 94 hours a week of brass tuition.
Self worth
In the published consultation document outlining details of the proposals, one school stated: "...we feel a deep commitment to the importance of music for children of all abilities and from all backgrounds. Music gives all pupils the ability to express their creativity and has a tremendous impact on self-worth and esteem."
Meanwhile, a spokesman for Swansea Council told the local South Wales Evening Post newspaper: "In Swansea we aim to ensure children continue to have access to as wide a range of music services as possible.
Schools will continue to be offered the opportunity to purchase their required provision for music from the Swansea music service."
Consultation
Currently, both authorities are in a 30-day consultation period (ending on 10th March) as they put forward the details of what the ending of the funding support would mean.
Children lose out
As one activist fighting against the proposal to end funding support from the City & County of Swansea told 4BR; "In reality this is largely 'window dressing', as without parity of funding the split is inevitable.
Having two smaller services seems ridiculous at a time when local authority re-organisation is so firmly on the agenda for Welsh Assembly Government. This is simply inefficient and creates additional administration — and it is the children who lose out once again."
They added: "Lend your support and make your viewpoint heard. The inevitable outcome if these changes go ahead will be an inferior musical education for the children of today and tomorrow in comparison with what has been provided over the last 30 years."
Music gives all pupils the ability to express their creativity and has a tremendous impact on self-worth and esteemSchool reply in consultation document
Petition
An online petition has been set up to fight the decision.
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