By Simon Gall.
On the 30th of November 2010 a crowd of around 200 protestors gathered in front of the Town House in Aberdeen to demonstrate against the proposed cuts by Aberdeen City Council (ACC) to the City’s Music Service Budget.
There are two proposals outlined in ACC’s Priority Based Budgeting Final Draft Report. The first is “a complete closure of the Music Service” (1) and the second is to effectively privatise it. Under the second option instrumental tutors would lose their jobs and then be re-hired as freelance tutors to ‘deliver instrumental lessons to pupils mainly during school time, as demand requires’.
In the video I speak to some of the attendees and ask them what brought them to the protest.
Update : The Finance and Resource Committee (2nd December 2010) decided yesterday to ‘shelf’ plans to cut the Music Service. The proposals will not go to the Full Council vote on the 15th of December. However, the Committee requested a further report about the service. “Senior councillors said (the Music Service) would continue, potentially with increased charges for all but the poorest families”. (2)
Read more: http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/2037018#ixzz173atvKIf
(1) – Letter from David Leng – Head of Schools and Education Establishments
(2) – http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/2037018#ixzz173atvKIf
*Permission was sought to film where needed