Welsh arts sector welcomes funding pledge from new government

Welsh arts organisations and unions have welcomed commitments from the new Welsh government to increase arts funding, describing it as a "breath of fresh air" and an opportunity for the sector.

First minister Rhun ap Iorwerth has appointed Heledd Fychan as culture minister, restoring the brief to cabinet level after Plaid Cymru ended 27 years of Labour-led government in Wales in last week’s Senedd election.

Speaking to BBC Wales on 14th May, Fychan said the new government would pursue “increased investment year-on-year” and develop a 100-day plan for a sector she said had been “siloed and under-funded” under previous administrations.

Equity welcomed the commitments but warned that workforce sustainability remained one of the biggest challenges facing the sector after “more than a decade of cuts to cultural funding in Wales”.

Simon Curtis, Equity official for Wales, said: “The new culture secretary’s comments are a breath of fresh air and we now need rhetoric to be turned into reality.”

He said freelancers and creatives were leaving the industry because insecure, project-based work was “no longer financially sustainable”.

“The priority now is delivery,” he added. “The sector needs long-term investment alongside real fair work protections.”

Graeme Farrow, chief creative officer at Wales Millennium Centre, said the election result presented an opportunity to “invest in the arts as key to nation building”.

“The benefits of the arts in terms of the positive impact on our well-being and the economy are clear,” he said.

“Let’s demonstrate our cultural ambition as an open, connected, progressive, inclusive, multi-lingual nation.”

A January 2025 Senedd culture committee report found that Wales ranked second from bottom among European countries for spending per person on cultural services after a decade of cuts to culture and sport funding.

Dafydd Rhys, chief executive of Arts Council of Wales, said the sector had “undoubtedly suffered from cuts over the years” and that the organisation wanted to see “more investment in the future of our arts organisations and artists”.

He added that the council looked forward to discussing with the minister how the arts could contribute to “a prosperous future” for Wales.

Evidence submitted to the committee warned that cuts had affected freelance opportunities, arts participation and provision in deprived communities.

Arts funding became a significant flashpoint in Wales after the Arts Council of Wales cuts to Welsh National Opera funding in 2023 led the company to warn of reductions to touring and activity and prompted protests outside the Senedd.