It is not just in English local authorities that there are real concerns over cuts to music service provision, as it is being reported in Wales that a number of unitary authorities are considering making swingeing cuts to funding.
Savings
As reported by 4BR on 4th October, Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council is set to consider ending the financial subsidise it currently provides — saving £470,000 per year.
However, a report by BBC Wales has revealed that many more are considering making the same decision, leading to one activist stating that music provision stands on a ‘cultural precipice’.
Funding cuts
Such is the desperate funding crisis in Welsh local government however that Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council has to make a reported £78 million worth of cuts over three years from a total budget of annual budget of £196 million.
With funding for social care, education, libraries and other services already under threat, music services will not be immune from cuts, especially, as unlike Scotland and England it is not ‘ring fenced’ for protection.
a report by BBC Wales has revealed that many more are considering making the same decision, leading to one activist stating that music provision stands on a ‘cultural precipice’4BR
Lowest in UK
The BBC report also reveals that surprisingly, given its musical heritage, only 27% of school children currently take music lessons in Wales — the lowest in the UK, whilst 47% do not have any music provision.
As one expert notes, access to music in Wales could soon no longer be a universal entitlement, but a service that can only be available to those who can afford it.
More details
http://www.4barsrest.com/news/detail.asp?offset=25&id=19279#.VIlTwSusUg8
