Control of funding for music education in Warwickshire set to be sent to Coventry

Warwickshire's access to grant funding for music education is set to change next year amid plans to merge services.

The Warwickshire Music Service provides support and advice on all aspects of music education to Warwickshire schools and settings.

Acting as the lead organisation for the Warwickshire Music Hub, it is responsible for £777,000 worth of annual funding administered by Arts Council England.However, a council report explains that the Department for Education (DfE) decided in June 2022 that it would “fund fewer, larger, more strategic music hubs, encompassing multiple local authority areas”, something that will affect the next round of funding which kicks in from September 2024.That has led to Warwickshire joining forces with Coventry City Council and Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council, handing control of the submission to Coventry, citing organisational changes and capacity issues.

“Warwickshire Music is currently in a transformation process to establish new management and administrative structures to better meet the current and future business and educational needs of the service,” the report reads.

“Given the capacity pressure placed on the service, to ensure the effective implementation of a new structure for Warwickshire Music and mitigate against the risk of an unsuccessful application outcome, we believe that Warwickshire is best placed to support, not lead, a collaborative hub application.”

Once the funding is secured – a decision is anticipated in April 2024 – the three councils plan to “establish a new legal entity” that will be jointly owned.

“Each local authority music service will retain its local identity and independence and will be the music hub’s lead delivery partner for their local authority area,” it adds.

The council says its reason for the decision is “to ensure that Warwickshire Music Service retains its position and influence in the strategic leadership of new music hub arrangements from September 2024”, later stating an aim “to retain funding for Warwickshire at current levels, meaning this is a cost neutral decision for the council”.

The decision to agree to submitting the bid on these terms was signed off by Councillor Kam Kaur (Con, Bilton & Hillside), the county council’s portfolio holder for education, this week.