£115k redundancy payout over music cuts

MORE than £100,000 is to be paid out in redundancy to music teachers as part of cuts to council services.

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Jobs face axe at school music service

SCHOOL music service staff are to be axed under council cost cutting plans.

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Music in Knowle Park on Sunday

MUSIC fans are invited to a performance by a brass band in Knowle Park on Sunday afternoon.

The band will play music from shows, TV and film between 2pm and 4.15pm.

Knowle music centre plan

A BID has been made to turn Knowle offices into a music school.

A planning application has been made for Greville Court in the High Street to Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council.

No further details were available at the time of going to press.

Classical concert tonight

SOLIHULL Symphony Orchestra will hold its Summer Concert tonight.

The centrepiece will be Grieg's piano concerto, to be played by Samantha Ward.

Music Director Martin Leigh said: “Samantha is one of the finest pianists of her generation, and music-lovers in Solihull would be well advised not to miss what is certain to be an outstanding performance.”

For tickets call 0121 704 6962.

Jazz and brass bring music week to a close

A WEEK of musical entertainment in Mell Square, Solihull, will come to an end tomorrow.

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Jekyll & Hyde comes to Solihull

SOLIHULL Theatre Company began its run of Jekyll & Hyde at Solihull Arts Complex this week.

The show runs to Sunday. Click here for details.

The company says: "Jekyll and Hyde is pure pulse-pounding theatre with a lush romantic score that combines the macabre fun and frights of the Phantom of the Opera with the emotive power of Les Miserables."

Music lesson hike on hold

A BID to increase the cost of out-of-school music lessons has been put on hold to see if the savings can be found elsewhere.

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School music holidays facing axe

RESIDENTIAL school music trips to Dunfield House in Hertfordshire could be axed in the latest cost cutting moves by council chiefs.

Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council says the cut would save £10,842 and be replaced by paid for lessons in schools.

The council says the visits are a ‘major administrative operation involving commitment to activities and risks that do not sit well with the rest of music service operation’.

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Knowle operatic begins week-long show

KNOWLE Operatic Society began its week long run of Fiddler on the Roof at Solihull Arts Complex last night.

The production will run until Saturday. Click here for details.

Were you there? Leave your thoughts below.

Cuts 'will damage children's social care'

CUTS to children’s social services will damage efforts at a time of increasing pressure, council chiefs admit.

In the second of a series of articles about proposed budget cuts at Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council, The Silhillian looks at the children and young people department.

A council report says of the cuts: “This would impact on frontline social work services at a time of increasing demand and cost pressure.”

It noted a borough survey which found “social workers most often report not having enough time to do the job properly”.

The cuts also propose.

• Fewer activities for children in care than planned. Saving: £416,000.
• Slashing the subsidy to the music service in about half. This follows plans to charge for the service. Saving: £100,000. See the full SMBC report here.
• Keeping vacant posts empty and focus on ‘core services.
• Withdrawing an anti-bullying project and reducing youth worker hours. Saving: £29,000.

A final decision will be taken next month. Click here for more council savings stories.

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Cricketer and pianist get New Year Honours

A SOLIHULL pianist and cricketer were today recognised in the Queen’s New Year Honours List.

Peter Donohoe, who has played with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, was awarded a CBE.

Former Warwickshire player John Jameson was awarded an MBE for services to cricket.

"Elitist" warning over music cuts

MUSIC could become “more elitist” council bosses admit as £75,000 worth of cuts are made to a youth programme.

Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council looks set to increase lesson costs and cut free sessions at Solihull Music Service, based at Lyndon School Humanities College to save the cash.

One of SMS’s aims is to help meet a Government pledge that by 2011 “all pupils in primary schools who wish to will have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument”.

Yet a report says council officers “were fearful of the impact of making savings of this size as the service could become more elitist and less inclusive”.

And a committee which looked into move “emphasised their concerns about the impact of making these savings”.

The Education, Children and Young People Scrutiny Board said it was “regrettable that savings needed to be made”.

It said: “Increasing fees could lead to fewer pupils engaging with music as more parents may struggle to meet the costs.”

But it said the options “were the best way to make the required savings and to minimise this impact upon families and to continue offering the breadth of music service activity”.

The savings total £76,258 and would take place in the 12 months from April. A further £25,000 will be saved this year.

Bosses agreed in June to increase fees for music centre tuition and ensemble membership by 2.5 per cent.

The proposals are:

● Increasing music centre charges for evening lessons by 28 per cent to “reflect the true cost” of providing them. Savings - £47,600.

● Offer free membership of borough groups to those having centre lessons. Cost - £4,842.

● Remove free music service hours to secondary schools. Savings - £21,000.

● Increase the cost of membership of borough groups by 30 per cent. Savings - £10,500.
“Other savings and efficiencies”. Savings – £2,000.

● It is proposed the council works to help the service “develop the business” and generate additional income.

The final decision will be taken by Ken Meeson, council leader and cabinet member for children and young people on Thursday.

In April he said of SMS: “It is a credit to Solihull and a service of which we can be truly proud.”