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Warning culture and sport at risk as funds dwindle

BBC Performers in colourful costumes gathered on the steps of the Senedd in protest against cuts in MayBBC
Performers gathered on the steps of the Senedd in protest against cuts in May

The future of sport and culture in Wales is under threat with the nation near the bottom of European league tables on public spending, politicians have warned.

"Relentless" cash cuts have left them "under-resourced and brittle", say Members of the Senedd (MSs), who are calling for action and extra Welsh government funding.

Poet and playwright Patrick Jones told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast he was "shocked" by the MSs' report but "not surprised".

The Welsh government said it took "very difficult decisions to protect frontline services" in recent years but that the latest UK government settlement had allowed it to increase funding for the sectors from April.

MSs on the Welsh Parliament's Culture and Sport Committee said a decade of spending cuts had left Wales ranking second from bottom of European countries in terms of spending per person on cultural services and third from bottom on recreational and sporting services.

Committee chair, Plaid Cymru's Delyth Jewell, said "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."

The committee also calls on the government to introduce a "preventative" category of spending in future budgets which would "recognise and properly fund the value of culture and sport in improving physical and mental well-being".

Patrick Jones, the brother of Nicky Wire from the Manic Street Preachers, said he had "seen this coming for years".

Brothers Nicky Wire and Patrick Jones standing in front of the 20m tall Guardian of the Valleys statue which overlooks the old Six Bells colliery in the south Wales mining town of Abertillery
Patrick Jones (R), picture with brother Nicky Wire, says the report is a "wake-up call"

"I work a lot in the community, as well as writing plays and performing poetry, you know, I am at the metaphorical coal face with the arts in in communities and I have just seen it fade away," he said.

He said arts projects from "schools to care homes" had "dried up" and called the report a "wake up call".

'Inspiring future generations'

A Welsh government spokesperson said it would "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, over recent years 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."