A CHILDREN'S orchestra that attracts budding musicians from disadvantaged backgrounds is set to have its funding slashed as cash-strapped councils across Scotland face up to new budget restraints.
Big Noise Orchestra has been acclaimed for its work in the deprived Raploch area of Stirling but is likely to see a “phased reduction” in its £500,000 council funding package .
It would mean a total cut of £300,000 over the next five years and comes as a string of local authorities are being force to tighten their belts to accommodate a government funding deal that has reduced their collective cashpot by £500 million
A spokeswoman for Stirling Council said: “This is just one cost saving option and no decision has yet been made.”
The leading Scottish composer Sally Beamish said she was “deeply concerned” by the proposed cut, as well as hikes to music tuition fees proposed by the council.
The budget meeting where to administer the cuts will take place on February 25.
Colin McKerchar, chief executive of Sistema Scotland, the charity which runs the Big Noise in Stirling, said: “We have an excellent relationship with Stirling Council.
“We have worked in partnership with them during the past eight years and would hope to work together to help overcome any future funding challenges.”
Stirling Council is expected to axe around 350 jobs to cut costs after signing up to John Swinney's funding deal.
As demonstrations take place outside around 10 local authority headquarters, North Ayrshire has said it will pass its budget next week with the impact including school cleaners having their working week cut to four days, primary school kitchens being shut and street cleaning reduced.
Around 200 job losses had been proposed but it is hoped the final figure will be fewer.
In Aberdeenshire, the budget includes a £3.2million cut to education and an estimated saving of £1.2m to early learning and childcare staffing.
The budget report added: "Notwithstanding the impact on residents of Aberdeenshire, it is also recognised that the implementation of the identified budget savings may result in a reduction in staffing numbers across some council services."
The details come as Scotland's largest local government union Unison announces plans to meet the Deputy First Minister to discuss the future of councils.
A spokesman said local government was "once again bearing the brunt of austerity, with another 15,000 jobs to go, and seemingly with little local autonomy to do anything fundamental about it".
And he said the current and next round of cuts "will fundamentally change the role of local government in Scotland in ways the Scottish public are yet to understand".
Unison's Scottish secretary Mike Kirby said: "Youth centres are marked for closure as are elderly day care centres; school libraries will become a thing of the past.
"They have already been severely cut but more is to come; local authorities are planning to slash school support staff, janitors, teaching assistants, student support and school trips and music tuition have simply stopped across Scotland. The list goes on."
Since signing the Scottish Government deal, protests have been held outside council buildings in West Lothian, Ayrshire, Argyll, Renfrewshire, Aberdeen, East Dunbartonshire, Highlands and North and South Lanarkshire.
Protesters were often joined by councillors and senior managers.
Unison also said 18 councils had signed up to a 'no compulsory redundancies' policy and that it was approaching every councillor in Scotland to ask them to support the pledge.
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