Speaking as someone who has been banding (OK not at top flight, but close to at times, 1st Section.... errr Ok well "almost" there) in the London area for about 17 odd years theres several reasons why (in no particular order).
- Attitude, basically the whole idea of living and breathing banding is alien to most folks down here. It's a heritage thing, we don't have it, or rather we've lost it which is a shame since some truly great names have links down hear, Mortimer + Luton, Sparke + Hillingdon, Hanwell... and others. Funnily enough the lower sections seem to be doing alright in the finals and putting up a decent standard, it's the top section that seems to have gone to pot.
- Expense, bands here are suffering badly due to expensive rehearsal rooms, overheads and all the rest.
- Lack of Junior bands. When I started playing there where two school brass bands and a number of junior bands (brass or otherwise) in my area (I was lucky enough to go one of these schools). now there are none that I know of, full marks though to the bands that manage to keep a training band going, however music in schools round here is less than zero, unless its keyboards or guitar.
- Lack of players, more and more bands in this region are folding due to lack of players, there just aren't enough to go round at any level and it reallt gets to me when the music colleges go and start their own bands for contesting. This denies those bands that had to rely on students for players mind you given the performance and behaviour of some of these players I think this may be a blessing in disguise.
Basically it's crap down here for bands and the moment and to be honest I can't see it changing much in the next 10 years (unless Brass become fashionable for some strange reason).