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Meeting: 16/10/2026 - Cabinet Member Signing (Item 6)

6 Approve Funding from Arts Council England to Haringey Music Service for the North London Music Hub PDF 686 KB

Decision:

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST MADE FOR THIS ITEM:

None

RESOLVED:

That the Cabinet Member for Children and Schools:

1.Approved acceptance of £1,702,986 revenue grant funding from Arts Council England on behalf of the Department for Education for delivery of the North London Music Hub during the 2026/27 financial year.

2. Approved Haringey Council continuing in its role as Hub Lead Organisation for the North London Music Hub.

3. Approved the onward distribution of grant funding to consortium partners in accordance with the Department for Education Music Hub funding methodology and agreed partnership arrangements.

4. Approved retention of a 3.75% management contribution to support the administration, governance, monitoring, reporting and strategic leadership responsibilities of the Hub Lead Organisation

5. Delegated authority to the Director of Children's Services, in consultation with the Director of Finance and Director of Legal and Governance, to enter into and administer all grant and partnership agreements necessary for implementation of the North London Music Hub

Reasons for decision

1. The grant funding will enable the North London Music Hub to continue delivering high-quality music education opportunities to children and young people across Haringey, Barnet, Camden, Enfield and Islington. The funding supports the delivery of the National Plan for Music Education and enables the Council to fulfil its responsibilities as the Hub Lead Organisation. Failure to accept the funding would significantly reduce music education opportunities available to schools, children and young people across the five boroughs and would jeopardise delivery of nationally funded Music Hub activity.

2. This links to aspirations with the culture strategy and London Borough of Culture 2027 project.

Top slicing:

Table 1 below shows the names of the Local Authority areas (consortium partners) that make up the North London Music Hub. Column two is the total value of each partners music hub grant, and column three is the contribution in pounds at 3.75% of the Music Hub grant. Including Haringey’s contribution as a consortium member this totals £1,702,986.00 for 2026 / 2027. Column four shows the amount that will be sent to consortium partners to undertake activity in their area.

1.The above top slice although relatively low in terms of contract management is a workable figure, considering the consortium nature of the North London Music Hub partnership.

2. The 3.75% management contribution has been agreed by consortium partners and has been reviewed for the 2026/27 academic year. The management contribution supports:

• Strategic leadership of the North London Music Hub.

• Financial administration and grant management. • Contract and performance monitoring.

• Arts Council England reporting requirements.

• Music Hub Board administration.

• Partnership coordination and communications.

• Audit, compliance and governance activities.

The contribution is considered proportionate to the responsibilities of the Hub Lead Organisation and represents value for money for consortium partners.

3. It remains extremely unlikely that Haringey Council as the Hub Lead Organisation would incur any additional expenditure, which is outside of the top slice contribution.

4. Amounts to fund consortium partners (column four), will be sent in five payments upon ... view the full decision text for item 6

Minutes:

The Cabinet Member considered a report seeking approval to accept grant funding of £1,702,986 from Arts Council England for the Haringey Music Service. It was noted that the funding would support the coordination and delivery of music education across the North London Music Hub, covering Haringey, Barnet, Camden, Enfield and Islington, including provision for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.

It was explained that the programme would be delivered in partnership with more than 400 schools and a range of educational, creative and community organisations, providing access to high-quality music education opportunities across the region.

It was noted that Haringey would continue as the Hub Lead Organisation and would enter into a funding agreement with Arts Council England. In this role, Haringey would administer and distribute the grant funding to consortium partners and be responsible for quarterly reporting requirements on behalf of the North London Music Hub.

It was further noted that the grant was fully funded by the Department for Education through Arts Council England and did not require any Council match funding. Financial and compliance risks were reported as being mitigated through established governance arrangements, partnership agreements, oversight by the Music Hub Board and the retention of a 3.75% management contribution.

It was noted that a decrease in participant numbers had affected funding levels. In response to a question regarding support from the Council, it was stated that support would be welcomed, particularly in ensuring that headteachers were briefed on the work being undertaken.