12.1 The Lead Member considered a report by the Director of Children’s Services regarding the East Sussex Music Service and the proposed next steps for this service.
12.2 The Lead Member RESOLVED to –
1) note and welcome the identification of new additional savings of £49,095 in 2018/19 (full year effect of £84,346 from 2019/20) which will put the service in a sustainable position to balance the budget and retain the small group and individual instrumental tuition service within the Music Service; and
2) agree that officers proceed with further exploration of making the Music Service sustainable in the longer term by considering whether to award a concession contract for the provision of the County’s music service as detailed in the report.
Reason
12.3
1)
We knew that the decision to consult on the closure
of the instrumental part of the service would result in widespread
public debate. Without a public consultation it is unlikely that we
would have been able to find a positive way forward for the
Instrumental tuition service.
2) The
first task was to close the budget gap. This has been achieved by
continuing with the plans to implement part of the proposals that
had previously been consulted on and by the identification of new
savings which emerged through the public consultation. This will
result in a balanced budget from 2019/20 which would allow time to
explore an alternative business model in more detail. The number of
people indicating that they would be prepared to pay more for
lessons, in order to retain the instrumental tuition service,
highlights the degree to which the service is valued and now
provides us with greater confidence that we could potentially
offset future modest increases in cost or loss of income.
3)
Although all
proposals that provided an alternative to closure were welcomed,
having reviewed the Hounslow/Croydon model we do not consider this
to be the best option for the future of the service as it would not
deliver a substantial reduction in operating cost, would
potentially reduce efficiency of delivery that has been achieved
since restructuring in 2014 and would result in a loss of
teachers’ terms and conditions and a drop in salary for the
majority of teaching staff.
4)
The expression
of interest that emerged through the public consultation, which has
led to the option of awarding a concession contract, potentially to
an existing music service, provides the opportunity to explore a
model that would deliver significant efficiency in management and
administration, providing a more robust financial position for the
new organisation. It would also release funds to improve the offer
to children and young people, particularly those in challenging
circumstances, ensuring the Hub meets the government’s
requirement to support social mobility.
5)
We have been
appreciative of the private providers that came forward and of the
thought they had clearly put into how they could scale up their
current offer to children and young people across the county should
the instrumental tuition part of the service close. We would be
interested in continuing with this dialogue to explore
opportunities to collaborate, to the benefit of all children and
young people learning an instrument in the county.
6)
The number of
people who provided feedback through correspondence, signing of the
petition and completion of the survey has demonstrated the degree
to which the Music Service is valued and has highlighted the
benefits to young people of playing an instrument and of being
actively engaged in musical activities. Through the public
consultation we have been able to find a positive way forward and
it is hoped that we are now able to re-build trust and confidence
in what we believe is a very exciting and financially sustainable
future.
7) In
light of the above the small group and individual instrumental
tuition service will be retained within the Music Service. It is
proposed that officers proceed with exploring the option of
awarding a concession contract to provide a long-term sustainable
future for the service.
8) The music service team are working closely with communications team to co-ordinate the announcement of a decision on the future of the music service and explain the financial changes which have prompted this recommended course of action. This includes plans to inform staff, stakeholders and the media.