Plaid Cymru would increase spending on the arts and sport every year if the party wins next year’s Senedd election, its culture spokeswoman has said.<\/p>\n
A Senedd report, earlier this year, found Wales had the second lowest spending per person on cultural services in Europe and the third lowest on recreation and sports.<\/p>\n
Despite a funding increase in the Welsh Labour government’s latest budget<\/a>, the sector has suffered significant cuts in recent years.<\/p>\n The new spending commitment by Plaid will be outlined by Heledd Fychan in a speech at the Eisteddfod on Friday. The party said its manifesto would explain how it would be funded.<\/p>\n Ahead of her speech, Fychan said culture, the arts and sports would be “central to a Plaid Cymru government’s ambition to create a healthier, wealthier Wales”. <\/p>\n “Not only does that mean increased funding, but a new whole government approach to ensuring culture is at the heart of everything we do,” she said.<\/p>\n According to Plaid, culture plays “a vital role in terms of wellbeing, economic growth and social cohesion” and the party pointed to an Arts Council of Wales report<\/a> into the economic impact of the arts in Wales which claimed that for every pound spent there was a return of \u00a32.51.<\/p>\n Fychan, who used to work for the National Museum of Wales, added “culture is the heartbeat of Wales”. <\/p>\n “It’s how we tell our stories, preserve our language, celebrate our history, and express our values.<\/p>\n “It connects us with each other, and with the past.”<\/p>\n The Welsh government’s budget for 2025-26 has seen funding for culture, the arts and sport restored to 2023-24 levels<\/a>. <\/p>\n However, that follows a period of cuts to the sector as the government prioritised frontline services including the NHS.<\/p>\n The Arts Council of Wales, which distributes public money to cultural organisations, has said its revenue was reduced by 40% in real terms between 2010 and 2024.<\/p>\n However, the council welcomed the uplift announced in the latest budget<\/a> as “a positive signal”.<\/p>\n