Stirling schools music tuition in new cuts confusion

Daily Record

05-06-2025

Campaigners say proposals to slash the service's budget by £200k were outlined to staff earlier this week without the knowledge of councillors - but council denies the department faces any savings
Music tuition in Stirling's schools was this week at the centre of cuts confusion ... just two months after councillors unanimously rejected an option to slash it by £250,000.
Staff from the council's instrumental music service were said to have been called to an urgent meeting chaired by a service manager on Tuesday of this week and told that education officers are seeking £200,000 of 'efficiency savings' from the service in this financial year.
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Specific details of where the axe could fall were said to have been outlined at the meeting.
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With councillors across the board unaware of the move, questions were then being asked over just how a cut of almost the same level was being brought in 'under the radar' without the knowledge of elected members.
But yesterday (Thursday) the council denied any such cuts were being considered.
Earlier, one campaigner told the Observer: 'The people of Stirling, through their elected members, have made it quite clear that they value and wish to see the music service remain intact and enhanced.
'Unelected council bureaucrats appear to be wilfully disregarding the wishes of Stirling councillors and are bringing forward these efficiency savings behind the backs of elected members.'
A Stirling SNP group spokesperson meanwhile said: 'From what we have discovered, [the 'efficiencies'] could be over £200,000, with cuts to tuition at McLaren, Balfron and Stirling High Schools.
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'Stirling SNP councillors remain resolute in avoiding the annual stress to families of such cuts at budget time and indeed our motion to protect music tuition was passed earlier this year.
'As such we are now concerned these proposals, if true, run contrary to this motion with cuts nonetheless being brought in 'under the radar' as 'operational efficiencies'.'
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SNP Group Leader Susan McGill said: 'The SNP group proposed to protect music tuition for the remainder of this council term, but if this is true, these services won't last past the summer holidays.'
Stirling MP Chris Kane (Labour), a former leader of Stirling Council, said: 'Music education opens doors, nurtures confidence, and helps young people thrive.
'I've asked the chief executive of Stirling Council for urgent clarity on reports of cuts to the service. Any decisions must be transparent, accountable, and reflect the clear support all councillors have shown for protecting music tuition in Stirling's schools.'
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Local Scottish Conservative MSP and Shadow Minister for Local Government & Public Finance, Alexander Stewart, who was preparing to put an urgent question to First Minister John Swinney at Holyrood, said the move 'could have a detrimental effect on music teaching at Stirling, Balfron and McLaren High Schools, in addition to all associated primaries - potentially leaving pupils without a music teacher'.
He added: 'Music has long played a central part in Scottish culture and the removal of this service could have a disastrous effect on these children's life chances.
'Also this situation is certainly not in the spirit of the unanimous motion in support of the music service passed by councillors only two months ago, which I welcomed in Parliament.
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'So I have written to Stirling Council's chief executive requesting an urgent meeting regarding this awful situation.'
As the Observer went to press, however, council leader, Labour's Cllr Gerry McGarvey, said: 'The administration stands by the budget motion of earlier in the year and is concerned that inaccurate information has been circulating.'
A Stirling Council spokesperson also denied music tuition was being targeted for savings.
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They added: 'The 2025-26 budget saving proposal to review the music tuition service (achieving a saving of £200,000 in the current financial year) was rejected by councillors when this year's budget was set and therefore it wasn't implemented.
'All council services continually assess service delivery for improvement and to ensure best value. Work to identify service delivery transformation which may achieve savings is underway across services - but no savings are being taken forward in relation to music tuition.'
The music tuition service has been a target in budget options tabled by council officials for savings for a number of years.
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However, the move has also consistently attracted strong protest and successive council political administrations have baulked at the idea of the cuts.
Earlier this year protesting musicians - including teachers, pupils and supporters - struck up their instruments outside Stirling Council's headquarters, helping to cement the message on the controversial budget cut proposals.
And ultimately councillors, while entertained by the musicians, were not entertained by the thought of slashing the music tuition budget.
Campaigners have argued that such cuts would remove many instrumental music teachers currently working in Stirling schools, with serious implications for the staff concerned and hugely damaging consequences for young people learning music in Stirling.
The local campaign against the budget cuts, which attracted more than 5000 signatures, was backed by international composer and former Gartmore resident Sally Beamish OBE. Former Stirling High School pupil and Emmy-winning musician John Lunn - who has composed for hit shows Downton Abbey, Shetland, and Grantchester - also backed the campaign, as did Jeffrey Sharkey, principal of Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.