Welsh arts get ‘disappointing’ uplift in ‘optimistic budget’

The Welsh government has allocated the culture sector an additional £6m in its draft budget proposal for 2025-2026, following an £11.9m funding cut to the sector last year.

The increase is part of a budget which, Cabinet Secretary for Finance Mark Drakeford said, set a path to a “brighter future” after “the political choices of previous UK governments” had resulted in “difficult choices, year in and year out”.

The minority Labour government will need the support of members of the Senedd before a final vote on the proposals in March.

In total, the Welsh government is allocating an additional £1.5bn in 2025-2026 compared with last year when Drakeford said the cabinet “faced the most difficult settlement in the history of devolution”, resulting in “very tough choices”.

That budget imposed cuts to all departments except health, including a 10% cut to culture.

The lion’s share of today’s budget (10 December) will again be spent on the NHS, with £437m more for day-to-day spending, while councils will get an extra £235m, an increase of 4.3%.

According to analysis by Campaign for the Arts, across the arts and culture sector, there will be an additional £1.2m for the Arts Council of Wales (ACW), £2.1m for Amgueddfa Cymru (National Museums of Wales), £1.7m for the National Library of Wales, £1.2m for local culture and sport and £1m for the historic environment via Cadw, RCAHMW and the National Botanic Garden of Wales.

The draft budget also included increased investment in the events and tourism industries with an additional £1.5m resource and £3m capital funding, and £8.1m of capital funding for the Cultural Capital Programme, which addresses geographic inequalities by increasing access to Wales’s national collection.

“Together, this investment helps to increase access and participation opportunities for communities across Wales, which contributes to better physical and mental health and the growth of job opportunities in these sectors,” noted the draft impact assessment budget.

Shared values

Crediting Chancellor Rachel Reeves, Drakeford said: “Now, for the first time in 14 years, we are working with a UK government which shares our values. In her first budget on 30 October, the Chancellor signalled additional resource and capital funding for Wales in 2025-26. This has enabled us to provide real-term uplifts to every Welsh government department’s budget.

“For the first time, we have been given a real uplift in our capital budgets – 10 times the average annual growth in capital funding made available over the last 14 years. We will stretch the capital envelope even further by maximising our borrowing capacity so we can fix the foundations, invest in infrastructure and encourage growth.”

However, there has been criticism that, despite the extra resources, the budget did not go far enough in reversing previous cuts to culture.

‘Derisory’

Calling the draft budget “disappointing” for the arts, Simon Curtis, Equity Wales official, said it showed that the Welsh government “is still not listening” to the union, arts sector or ACW.

“The First Minister may call this a budget ‘for hope’, but it provides none to our members who are already struggling to sustain careers in the industry.

“The extra £1,095,000 funding for ACW next year in no way makes up for the cuts of previous years – and in a budget which includes £1bn of ‘new money’ due to the Westminster budget, this increase in ACW funding is derisory.”

Jack Gamble, director of the Campaign for the Arts, welcomed a renewed commitment of the Welsh government to increase investment in arts and culture as “a positive step forward.”

He added: “However, this budget falls short of fully restoring last year’s funding cuts. Meanwhile, the environment for artists and organisations becomes ever more challenging.

“Once adjusted for inflation, the Arts Council of Wales will see a funding increase of just 1% next year – a rise that is unlikely to significantly enhance their capacity to support the arts sector or to unlock more of the benefits it brings to people and communities across Wales.”