Welsh government commits additional funding to arts

The Arts Council of Wales (ACW) and the National Library of Wales are among the recipients of a fresh Welsh Government funding package for culture and sport worth £5m.

The money, which will come from the Welsh government's reserves, includes £1.5m to ACW and £725,000 for the National Library.

Amgueddfa Cymru, a family of seven museums across Wales including National Museum Cardiff, will receive £940,000, while £745,000 is being granted to Cadw, the historic environment service of the Welsh government. Sport Wales, meanwhile, will receive £1m.

READ MORE:

• Welsh government earmarks £3.2m for museum repairs
• Arts Council Wales confirms redundancies and restructure

The Welsh government's Culture Secretary, Jane Hutt, said: “These organisations are key in delivering a number of our programme for government commitments and play a fundamental role in promoting good mental wellbeing and physical health and bringing communities together. 

“We fully recognise this is a difficult financial time for our arm’s length arts and sports organisations as well as Cadw, and we know this funding won’t address all the issues these organisations are facing.

"However, this support will offer some further financial stability and strengthen the resilience of these bodies.”

The funding for the National Library of Wales will in part go towards addressing a deficit in its staff pension scheme, while £225,000 will go towards infrastructure to protect its digital collections.

ACW Chief Executive, Dafydd Rhys, said: "We are pleased that the government has recognised the continuing financial pressures that the sector is facing, and this additional support will give us the opportunity to assist many organisations that are struggling under the current economic climate."