A COUNCIL decision to hike up hire fees at Bournemouth Pavilion could sound the death knell for Bournemouth's longest-running schools' music event.

Bournemouth Schools' Music Association has been told that hire fees for its annual carol festival will more than triple from next year.

The decision will mean that three-day hire charges for the Daily Echo backed event will rise from £1,925 to £7,050.

Treasurer Deric Westerman said: "This is a real blow because the festival is our only fund-raising event. It generates about £11,000 each year. After expenses are paid we plough the rest back into encouraging musical activities at local schools.

"If we have to pay so much to stage the event there will not be much left over so schools will suffer and it won't be financially viable for the association to continue to function in its present form. The festival's long-term future hangs in the balance.

"We've been told there will be no increase in fees this year as the event has already been contracted but subsequent years' fees are not negotiable. We have asked the council to treat us as a special case."

The BSMA was set up in 1948 by local teacher Leonard Cook to support and encourage the growth of musical activities at local schools.

More than 600 pupils took part in last year's carol festival and profits were used to cover the cost of music workshops and staff fees while music teachers attended events.

In past years proceeds were used to purchase equipment and resources. The festival's future was previously in doubt following the council's decision to close the Winter Gardens, the traditional venue for the popular event, which is attended by between 1,200 and 1,500 visitors each night.

Council spokesperson Georgia Smith said: "The council faced a difficult budget-setting process for this year and part of that involved charging full commercial rates for hire of the Pavilion to organisations such as the Schools Music Association.

"To put the fee in context, it equates to a cost of just £1.33 per seat. We are sorry that this may have a negative impact on the Christmas concert but, during our residents' budget workshops in January there was some degree of support for this charging, with participants feeling the financial burden should fall on those benefiting from the event rather than the taxpayer in general."

First published: May 26