The Cabinet Member Signing meeting on Friday, 16 October 2026, approved the acceptance of significant grant funding for music education and confirmed Haringey Council's role as the lead organisation for the North London Music Hub. This decision will ensure the continuation of high-quality music education opportunities for young people across five boroughs.

North London Music Hub Funding Approved

Councillor Georgia Twigg, Cabinet Member for Children and Schools, approved the acceptance of £1,702,986 in revenue grant funding from Arts Council England. This funding, provided on behalf of the Department for Education, will support the delivery of the North London Music Hub throughout the 2026/27 financial year.

Haringey Council will continue in its role as the Hub Lead Organisation, a position it has held since September 2024. This involves administering and distributing the grant funding to consortium partners, which include Barnet, Camden, Enfield, and Islington. A 3.75% management contribution will be retained to cover administrative, governance, monitoring, reporting, and strategic leadership responsibilities.

The decision was made to ensure the continuation of high-quality music education opportunities for children and young people across the five boroughs. The funding supports the delivery of the National Plan for Music Education¹ and aligns with the council's culture strategy and aspirations for the London Borough of Culture 2027 project. Failure to accept the funding would have significantly reduced music education opportunities and jeopardised nationally funded Music Hub activity.

The grant is fully funded by the Department for Education and does not require any match funding from the council. Financial and compliance risks are mitigated through established governance arrangements, partnership agreements, oversight by the Music Hub Board, and the management contribution.

The decision also 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 necessary grant and partnership agreements.

The report detailing this decision can be found in the Public reports pack.