Madam,

I write in response to Mark Williams’ letter regarding the Music Service within Ceredigion (’67 per cent cut to Music Service a shattering blow’, 4 April).

Whilst both Mr Williams and I are in agreement regarding the value of music to enrich education, I must respond to the inaccuracies noted in his letter.

Ceredigion council funds a peripatetic music service offering instrumental lessons to pupils. This is an extra-curricular service, and currently around 14 per cent of the pupil population in Ceredigion choose to benefit from the provision. Ceredigion provided £485,000 of funding for this service in 2018-2019. This sum, per head, is by far the greatest contribution in Wales by any council, and three times in excess of the second-highest music spending council.

The current proposal would reduce the funding available to the music service. Nevertheless, the available sum would still remain significantly greater than any other council in Wales and would be, as present, an amalgamation of core funding and charges. Charges proposed would be consistent across all schools and would again be the most reasonable in Wales. To summarise, the proposal is to continue with the highest-funded model in Wales and to do so at the most reasonable cost nationally. It is certainly not, as stated by Mark Williams, a 67 per cent cut in funding.

As Ceredigion residents are all too aware, the council has had to make £38 million of savings within the last five years, with an additional £6 million yet to be saved in 2019-20. It would be naïve to state that the changes to the music service are not linked to the continued need to reduce budgets. Even with the additional two per cent increase in council tax alleviating some pressures to school budgets, schools will again have to make staff redundant. It is our duty to prioritise funding for all pupils in all classrooms. Whilst making savings in the music service is not palatable, it would certainly be irresponsible for us to ignore the significant needs of 100 per cent of our pupils in the county’s schools, whilst maintaining the status quo in the music service for 14 per cent of our pupils.

Yours etc, Cllr Catrin Miles, Cabinet Member, Learning Services, Ceredigion County Council.

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