Music education hubs: final two lead organisations named

Arts Council England (ACE) has named the final two Hub Lead Organisations (HLO) that will oversee provision of music education in areas of the country from September.

ACE announced 41 of the 43 new HLOs in May, but it reopened applications in South West London and South Yorkshire, with a spokesperson saying at the time that “no application strongly evidenced” how they would meet the relevant criteria.

In July, ACE appointed South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority as the HLO in South Yorkshire and Southwest London (SWL) Music Ltd as the HLO in South West London.

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According to its website, SWL Music is a partnership consisting of seven music services: Croydon Music & Arts, Hounslow Music Service, Kingston Music Service, Merton Music Foundation, Richmond Music Trust, Sutton Music Trust and Wandsworth Music. Together, the services engage more than 50,000 children and young people annually.

Details registered with Companies House show it was incorporated in May, the same month applications reopened.

Data available on ACE’s website shows SWL Music will work across seven London boroughs – Kingston upon Thames, Merton, Richmond upon Thames, Wandsworth, Sutton, Hounslow and Croydon – and will receive over £2.24m in annual funding, alongside a £737,749 capital grant to invest in new musical instruments, equipment and technology, both from the Department for Education (DfE).

Meanwhile, the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority will act as HLO across four local authorities: Barnsley, Rotherham, Doncaster and Sheffield. It is receiving over £1.96m in annual funding, plus a £644,787 capital grant from the DfE.

South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority took part in the original bid process, prior to ACE reopening the process. A spokesperson for ACE declined to say whether South West London Music had also been an original bidder.

Wide remit

HLOs main responsibilites will include supporting all state-funded schools in their area and building local partnerships to deliver music education and music making through a programme of activity. They will also be expected to develop, implement and communicate a Local Plan for Music Education.

Coordinating additional funding will also be key. Guidance set out by ACE during the application process stipulated that at least 50% of the hub’s total income should come from sources other than the DfE’s revenue grant.

The new music hub investment programme, administered by ACE on behalf of the DfE, has seen the number of HLOs reduced significantly from an original 116 to 43 – a cut of almost two thirds.

While the government justified the reduction as an opportunity for “more and better strategic collaboration” that improves the quality, breadth and consistency of music education, the reform has been met with concern and criticism by some parties, including several MPs and sector leaders.

An ACE spokesperson said: "We're excited to welcome South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority and South West London Music Ltd as the new Hub Lead Organisations in South Yorkshire and London – South West.

"We look forward to working with them to provide all children and young people in their areas with access to high-quality music education, opportunities to connect with their peers through music making, and pathways to rewarding careers in the music industry."