Agenda and draft minutes

Economic Development, Culture and Leisure Scrutiny Panel - Thursday, 14th November, 2024 12.00 pm

Venue: The Executive Meeting Room - Third Floor, The Guildhall, Portsmouth. View directions

Contact: Allison Harper 023 9268 8014 

Items
No. Item

13.

Apologies for absence

Minutes:

There were no apologies for absence.

14.

Declarations of Members' Interests

Minutes:

There were no declarations of interest.

15.

Culture - An Exploration of Cultural Accessibility and Engagement with Deprived Communities

The Panel will continue their review and hear evidence from the following witnesses:

 

  • Sharon Emery - Forest School
  • Paul Caruana, Casemates Studio
  • Sue Beckett - Portsmouth Music Hub
  • Marie Amey - Young Creatives

 

 

Minutes:

The Panel heard from the following witnesses:

 

·       Sue Beckett, Portsmouth Music Hub

·       Marie Amey, Young Creatives

·       Paul Caruana, Casemates Studio

 

Sue Beckett, Portsmouth Music Hub

The Portsmouth Music Hub is part of Portsmouth City Council (PCC); however it is not funded by PCC.  The Hub is a branch of the Music Service which is externally funded.  They had recently been forced into a merger with Southampton, Isle of Wight, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and were now one of 43 merged music organisations in the country. 

 

The Music Hub provides events across the city, some face to face, in large venues like the Guildhall, St Mary's Church, and the Wedgwood Rooms.    Some children and young people have difficulty accessing these events because of the location they are having to travel to.

 

The Music Hub has offices based in Paulsgrove although there is no decent performing space in that area so, for people in that area, to attend events in the city means hiring expensive coaches or sharing buses.  The Hub had recently started creating digital collaborations because of the difficulties in accessing events, such as a Christmas Song involving 18 schools across the city, which would be shared on the Big Screen in the Guildhall Square.

 

Panel Members's questions

In response to Panel Members' questions, Sue clarified:

 

·       There was no cost for children to access the music hubs as all events are funded by the Arts Council England funding.  Other areas within the new merged area do charge.

 

·       The Hampshire Music Service (which is different from the Music Hub), was a centralised funded activity which delivers instrumental teaching with staff on teacher's pay and conditions.  The cost of those lessons was currently £54 per hour meaning they would lose the vast majority of children who were having lessons.  These were available across the whole city.

 

·       Schools have the option to buy into the service or they can get private tutors.

 

·       Music was statutory on school curriculums and whilst it may be statutory it was a subject that could slip when there was pressure on schools.

 

·       The Music Hub was the delivery part of the Music Service.  Funding for the two different parts was complicated. 

 

·       The Music Hub offer to schools for large scale events was free. Instrumental lessons have to be bought in by schools through the Council traded services arrangement.  The charge was usually passed onto the children.  The Hub could not provide free instrumental lessons to individuals or school groups.

 

·       Some projects were run after school.   The Hub was funding some of the after school provision in The Base in the Guildhall.  There were a number of Hub partners across the city who may do afterschool activities and who approach them for official funding which they are sometimes able to provide.

 

·       Every school in the city had access to all the free events.  There was also a digital website with almost 300 pooled and composed songs they have free access to.  Generally, 65 - 70% of schools engage.

 

·       A  ...  view the full minutes text for item 15.