Camden is one of five boroughs that will share a £1.7mn grant to deliver music teaching, after the lead borough approved receipt of the funding on behalf of the north London group of councils.
The money will be split between Barnet Education Arts Trust, Camden Music, Enfield Music Service, Haringey Music Service, and Music Education Islington.
Haringey, which has been acting as “hub lead” for the Arts Council England (ACE) programme since September 2024, will be responsible for administrating the funds through the North London Music Hub.
Georgia Twigg, cabinet member for children and schools at Haringgey, approved receipt of the ACE funding at a cabinet member signing on Friday 16 October.
In a report, the council said the money will go towards “co-ordinating music education in the local area, tailored to the needs of children and young people across Haringey, Barnet, Camden, Enfield and Islington, including those with special educational needs and disabilities”.
Working with over 400 schools across the North London boroughs, the funding will help facilitate ongoing “high-quality music education” delivered “through diverse partnerships between educational, creative and community organisations”.
First created in 2012, there are now 43 music hubs across England, 38 of which cover “multiple local authority areas”, as defined by the Department for Education.
In a report, officers explained that the funding formula for the hubs is awarded on for academic years based “90 per cent on eligible pupil numbers and 10 per cent free school meals allocation”.
Each of the five councils has agreed to give a 3.75 per cent “top slice” of their funding allocation to fund the management of North London Music Hub.
The collective total, just under £64k for the 2026/27 academic year, is set to go to management of North London Music Hub. This will cover key functions such as administration, performance monitoring and communication activities.
Barnet is set to receive the most funding from the ACE grant, with a share of the funding worth just over £500k after its “top slice” contribution of £20k.
Enfield and Haringey come in second and third, with the boroughs set to receive £469k and £305k respectively after their contributions to the collective kitty.
Islington will have £195k, and Camden will receive £169k to spend on music education through the scheme.
Council officers explained that it is “extremely unlikely” that Haringey Council, as hub lead, will incur “any additional expenditure, which is outside of the top slice contribution”.
The local authority says the borough maintaining its role as hub lead “reflects Haringey’s successful appointment through the national music hub competition process and supports the council’s strategic leadership role within music education across North London”.
The report noted that: “Heads of service and service managers from consortium partners continue to have a joined-up approach and positive working relationship, endeavouring in doing what’s best for young musicians and their families.”
A separate, independently-chaired hub board “continues to have a key role in monitoring and challenging the work of the music hub,” officers added.
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