Wales second from bottom of European counties for cultural services
The Senedd’s Culture and Sport Committee released a report detailing the 'severe impact' of a decade of funding cuts on the culture and sport sectors in Wales.
The Senedd’s Culture and Sport Committee released a comprehensive report detailing the severe impact of a decade of funding cuts on the culture and sport sectors in Wales.
Senedd Committee report, shows, after a decade of cuts, Wales ranks third from bottom of European countries in terms of spending per person on recreational and sporting services and second from bottom for cultural services.
Delyth Jewell MS, Chair of the Committee said:
"For too long, culture and sport have been treated as 'nice to haves,' facing relentless funding reductions that have left these sectors brittle and under-resourced.
“The recent cuts in the 2024-25 Welsh Government budget, compounded by inflation and rising costs, have had a profound impact. We must tackle this to ensure that spending per head on culture and sport becomes comparable with other nations.
“Culture and sport are vital threads in the fabric of what makes life worth living: they enrich the human experience, and not merely luxuries to be enjoyed during times of plenty.
“Without significant changes, Wales risks being left behind in cultural and sporting achievements, endangering our national character and the well-being of our communities."
Miranda Ballin from Valleys Kids, a charity that provides support, advice and opportunities to people of all ages in Rhondda Cynon Taf said:
“Valleys Kids works in some of the most disadvantaged communities in Europe, they bore the brunt of austerity, the cost of living crisis and previously Brexit. For many of our young people and older adults they describe their involvement in the arts as a life line.
“Reduction in funding for the arts impacts on our local emerging artists, our freelance community and above all the participants themselves -
...being part of the arts, gives people a creative voice, at time when it's most needed, we can't afford to lose that now.”
Lisa Davies, Chief Executive of Tanio, an organisation providing access to a range of creative activities and interventions to different communities, shared her concerns:
"Reductions in Welsh Government funding for culture and the arts have impacted every part of what we do: it has reduced the amount of activities we can offer to people in deprived communities, and has changed the content of the activities we can provide. It has also greatly affected our staff, as we can offer fewer freelance work opportunities to our network of artists.”
The report makes several key recommendations and calls for the Welsh Government to:
- Increased funding: Increase funding for culture and sport until spending per head is comparable with similar nations.
- Preventative spending: Introduce a 'preventative' category of spending in future budgets to recognise and properly fund the value of culture and sport in improving physical and mental well-being.
- Strategic support: Develop a collaborative cross-department strategy for funding culture and sport, ensuring these sectors are recognised as key to achieving the goals of the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015.
A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “We will consider the Committee’s report and respond to its recommendations in due course.
“Wales’ cultural, arts and sporting sectors make a vital social and economic contribution to our society, enriching our communities and inspiring future generations.
"We have, however, had to take very difficult decisions to protect frontline services following years of difficult funding settlements from the UK Government.
"The latest UK Government settlement has provided an opportunity for us to allocate increased funding for our vital cultural, arts and sporting institutions in the draft 2025-26 budget.”