Campaigners fighting to protect Ceredigion’s music education service have insisted they were right that the service was facing a funding cut of almost 70 per cent.

Education Cabinet member Catrin Miles had said that claims of a 68 per cent cut to the service were “false information”, but the council itself has admitted that ‘core funding’ for the service will be slashed by 68 per cent.

However, the council is saying that an increase in fees will mean that the cut to the service will instead amount to 32.4 per cent.

That claim has been rubbished by the Friends of Ceredigion Young Musicians, who said the council had no way of knowing how many people would pay increased fees.

A spokesperson for the group said: “Ceredigion council has come clean that it does indeed plan an overall reduction in core funding to its music service of 68 per cent, as the Friends of Ceredigion Young Musicians accurately revealed a fortnight ago.

“The council leadership’s claim that the actual funding cut will be 32.4 per cent, taking into account extra income from lessons, must be treated with extreme caution.

“They have no idea how many will be able to pay for lessons, choirs and ensembles from September, on a scale of charges that for most could be much higher than those they’re paying at the moment.

“This shift from core funding to demanding that parents pay more is at the heart of the concerns of people in Ceredigion; the plan is elitist and risks making the service unsustainable.

“Even under the council’s most optimistic forecast, the music service is being subjected to a huge funding cut, at a time when council tax is being raised by seven per cent, supposedly so that education provision can be protected.”

See this week’s south papers for the full story and further coverage of the music service cuts, available in shops and as a digital edition now