Council plan would be a cut too far say bosses of orchestra charity

Big Noise Raploch bosses say Stirling Council budget proposals to slash funding to the orchestra project are a cut too far and could devastate children and the community.

Figures within the budget options indicate officers have reckoned on saving just £225,000 over the next five years in a revised partnership agreement with Sistema Scotland, the charity which delivers the Big Noise orchestra in Raploch.

However Sistema say the impact of the cuts go far deeper than the consultation document suggests, particularly in terms of being able to match fund the council’s contribution.

Big Noise Raploch (Stirling) was established in 2008. It now has almost 500 members aged from babies through to S5.

In recent years the council has funded up to £500,000 of the project’s £1million cost a year.

The council is currently working on a new funding model after an independent report on the council’s music tuition service highlighted that the Big Noise project, while “almost universally recognised” to have a positive impact on children’s wellbeing, needed to extend its reach beyond Raploch.

The PBB options suggest the revised agreement could save a total of £225,000 between 2019 and 2022.

However, a spokesperson for Big Noise Raploch and Sistema Scotland said this week: “Sistema Scotland is deeply concerned that the council is proposing an almost 50 per cent reduction in the Big Noise Raploch budget over five years.

“This will see our budget reduced from £500,000 per annum to just £275,000 per annum over four years. While Sistema Scotland recognise the public sector is under financial pressure this is a cut too far and could have a devastating effect on the children who participate in Big Noise and the local Raploch community.

“Stirling Council has identified