Northamptonshire County Council is proposing to cut £238,000 of funding from the Northamptonshire Music and Performing Arts Service (NMPAS) as part of its budget proposals for 2010/11.
This amount of money is basically the whole of the subsidy for the service and the Conservatives, who run Northamptonshire County Council, say they are looking to 'explore opportunities for further income generation, including the potential for full or partial trust status'.
NMPAS provides an invaluble service to about 15,000 children in Northamptonshire covering all ages who are involved through music lessons in their schools, private music lessons, or who attend Saturday morning centres through the many music groups in the county.

Many young people in Northamptonshire from all sorts of backgrounds have benefitted from the service provided by NMPAS.
The service has promoted Northamptonshire music such that four of the most senior groups - the County Youth Orchestra, County Youth Concert Band, the Brass Band and the Big Band - won the very top awards at the National Festival of Music for Youth.

Andrew Simpson and Northamptonshire Liberal Democrats are campaigning to have the proposed cuts reversed.

"This is a vital and successful service that puts Northamptonshire on the map" said Andrew "It makes no sense whatsoever to remove the funding to a service that provides such an inspiration to our young people".

Liberal Democrat County Councillors, who are the official Opposition on the Conservative run Council, will be putting forward alternative Budget proposals that save NMPAS.