Lunchtime concert in protest at plans to axe Gwent music service funds (From South Wales Argus)

Lunchtime concert in protest at plans to axe Gwent music service funds

9:00am Wednesday 2nd January 2013 in Gwent news

A PROTEST concert will be held outside Newport Council at lunchtime today (Wednesday, January 2) against proposals to axe funding for the Gwent Music Support Service (GMSS).

A team of students and former students of the group, including chairman Lloyd Pearce and secretary Ben Teague, have come together to oppose Newport councilÕs proposals to drop its £292,000 funding for the nationally-respected GMSS, and will be demonstrating outside the civic centre today.

Mr Teague said it is likely that many students would have to give up music lessons and has set up the anti-cuts petition, which has received more than 1,939 signatures online.

The petition reads: "These cuts of funding for GMSS will take a lot away from a lot of people, and the council needs to keep funding the service for it to keep providing the high class of service it provides."

Kirsty Davies from Newport who has signed the petition said: "GMSS gave me my step in life. If it wasn't for them I would not have pursued music as my career."

Newport councillor David Williams said: "This is cultural vandalism on the part of the City Council and they should hang their heads in shame."

The council, which is currently consulting on proposals for the 2013/14 draft budget, has said that it needs to concentrate on frontline education.

The petition can be found at http://chn.ge/UWKosC