THE decision to approve a £280 charge for instrumental music tuition in East Lothian was taken unanimously at a cabinet meeting where only five councillors from the ruling Labour administration could vote.

While more than 50 students loudly protested by playing music outside, the meeting heard from parent Molly Kerr, from Port Seton, and music student Charlotte Noon, who has just completed her education at Ross High School, Tranent.

Mrs Kerr said she accepted the council was under financial pressure but did not believe people affected by the decision had been consulted, saying: “The budget was set in February on a consultation of 0.08 per cent of the population.

“Nearly 4,000 people signed a petition against these fees, there are 35 jobs at risk when this starts to slide and this service starts to dissolve.”

And she added: “You are all elected by the people of East Lothian; those young people are your future voters and you need them.”

Charlotte, 17, who is about to start a music course at university, said: “I had free tuition with the clarinet from when I was nine. I took a crash Higher in music, which requires two instruments to pass. I could not have done it without free tuition.

“I still have many friends playing at the school but if you charge them they will give up and it is not right.”

After the charge had been agreed, Charlotte told the Courier: “I want to teach music but I will not do it for East Lothian Council after this decision today.”

READ MORE: Students' musical protest falls on deaf ears

The council approved the introduction of music lesson fees in its budget in February after presenting people with 15 options for ways to meet its deficit.

The cabinet meeting was told there were about 1,210 children currently receiving free instrumental music tuition in East Lothian’s schools.

Acting council leader Councillor Norman Hampshire said the council had to find £8 million in savings over the next three years and blamed the Scottish Government for cutting council funding.

He said: “The role of the administration is to manage the budget for the people of East Lothian. We will not dodge choices, we will make the difficult decisions to make sure the council works well.

“We have set a fee which is about the average in Scotland and will provide support for families who need it.”

But SNP Group leader Councillor Stuart Currie accused the administration of blaming others.

He said: “It is always the fault of someone else. When will people start taking responsibility for the decisions made in this chamber?”

Councillor Shamin Akhtar, education spokesperson, accused the SNP Group of trying to score “cheap political points”.

She said: “There are SNP-led local authorities charging more, such as Clackmannanshire Council, which charges £524.”

However Councillor Kenny McLeod, SNP, said: “I am not interested in what other local authorities are doing, I’m only interested in what is happening in East Lothian.”

Following the meeting, Councillor Brian Small, leader of the Conservative opposition, said years of cuts to councils’ funding from government, along with the council tax freeze, had made decisions such as charging for music tuition inevitable.

The five cabinet members who approved the new fee level were Councillors Norman Hampshire, John McMillan, Fiona O’Donnell, Shamin Akhtar and Jim Goodfellow.

There are plans to provide free tuition for pupils who qualify for free school meals while a second sibling will pay a reduced rate. A bursary scheme may also follow.

Fiona Robertson, the council’s head of education, also told the meeting plans were under way to set up a bursary scheme to support low income families who do not qualify for free school meals.

After the vote, some councillors were cornered outside their offfice by protestors who continued to plead their case.

As news of the decision reached the pupils, they continued to protest with their instruments, then following members of the cabinet back to the Labour administration’s offices on Court Street.

They then spent half-an-hour arguing their case with councillors outside the office, including cabinet members Norman Hampshire, Jim Goodfellow and John McMillan.

East Lothian MSP Iain Gray said he understood the disappointment felt but pointed the finger at the Scottish Government for cutting local authrotiy funding.

He said: “The truth is, no-one wanted this to happen, and it would not have happened if the council’s funding from the Scottish Government had not been cut year after year.

“The Scottish Government should come up with funding to ensure that children have access to instrumental tuition, and these charges are not needed. That is why I am supporting, in parliament, the campaign urging the Scottish Government to provide additional funding for councils specifically to provide instrumental tuition. That would stop our local councillors having to weigh up a decision like this against cuts to other services.”