The current plight and general funding of brass bands in the UK was debated in Parliament on Monday evening.

Focus

In a half hour Adjournment Debate, a meagre turn out of MPs (not enough to fill a back row cornet section in fact) took the opportunity to focus primarily on funding issues for the movement.

Even though the debate itself did not start until 10.00pm, just five Labour MPs, including Margaret Hodge, Minister for Culture, Media and Sport, who led for the Government, stayed in the chamber for a session that was chaired by the Speaker, Michael Martin.

Perhaps mindful of their impending 11 week holiday break, there appeared to be no Conservative or opposition members from other political parties interested enough to attend the debate4BR

No opposition

Perhaps mindful of their impending 11 week holiday break, there appeared to be no Conservative or opposition members from other political parties interested enough to attend the debate.

Jeff Ennis (Barnsley), David Drew (Stroud), David Taylor (Leicestershire West) and Michael Foster (Hastings & Rye) managed to fill the allotted time with their contributions, emphasising their support and admiration for brass bands, the performers, and crucially, the number of volunteers that help them.

Rambling address

In a rather rambling address from Margaret Hodge, who managed to mention schemes as diverse as music for Venezuelan street kids to the film ‘Brassed Off’, the 2012 Olympics to the ‘Find your Talent’ and ‘Our Creative Talent’ government pilot schemes (one of which was in her own constituency), no specific mention was made of possible additional government funding for brass bands, other than that currently earmarked through the three year Arts Council funding scheme.

Symbols of British culture

Mrs Hodge stated that brass bands were ‘…symbols of British culture’, and congratulated Grimethorpe Colliery for winning the English National Championships and Peter Moore for winning the BBC Young Musician of the Year competition (although he wasn’t mentioned by name).

Foot shooting

However, she still managed to shoot herself in the foot by inviting brass bands ‘to blow their own trumpets’ in trying to press the London Olympic Games organisers to get brass band representation at either the opening or closing ceremonies in 2012.

Elite bands

Jeff Ennis meanwhile congratulated the Minster for ‘...her excellent response’ although his still felt that possibly more could be done to help ‘elite’ bands in the UK. He didn’t however mention the fact that Grimethorpe had reportedly received £20,000 towards the cost of representing the Yorkshire region at the recent European Brass Band Championships.

Mrs Hodge had earlier praised the Barnsley MP for ‘his long and honourable campaign’ although she quickly added the disclaimer that, ‘…I hope I offered a friendly ear even if I cannot always deliver’.

Posh

Meanwhile, in a retort that wouldn’t have been out of place in the days of Nye Bevan, Michael Foster remarked that the great thing about brass bands was ‘…that you don’t have to be posh to play in them.’

Unfortunately the Minister herself was stopped from lobbing in a dig at David Cameron and the Tories as the Speaker, mindful that there was no representation on the green opposition benches, stopped her in mid political points scoring mode.

National Youth Band

The Minister did reveal that the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain currently receives around £125,000 in youth music funding, and hoped that the Arts Council and especially Local Authorities and Regional Development Agencies would be listening intently to the debate.

She added that she felt as bands were ‘ symbols of community identity and pride’ and ‘conveyed a sense of Britishness’, that they must do a part to try and ensure that voluntary groups such as brass bands are ‘...at the centre of their activities’ in maintaining community cohesion.

Arms length

Crucially however, she further emphasised that at present there was no desire on behalf of the government to change current funding avenues and that the ‘arms length’ approach of funding through the Arts Council seemed correct.

‘We are proud of what we have done for the arts’, she said, before reeling off the obligatory list of statistics that somehow included the amazing fact that there are according to government figures, 9.4 million people involved in over 50,000 voluntary organisations (many of which she said were ‘fragile’) as diverse as brass bands to lace makers.

Mace

And with that time was up and the back benchers stood to allow the Sergeant at Arms to pick up the Mace and for them to carry on the debate in one of the Parliamentary watering holes.

Six MPs and the Speaker — it rather summed up just how really important brass bands are in the eyes of our ruling classes….