Wales behind most European countries after culture and sport cuts
Video report by Mike Griffiths.
Young people are being "deprived of the chance to explore their talents" as Wales lags behind other European countries in sport and culture funding after budget cuts, according to a new Senedd Committee report.
The report by the Senedd's Culture and Sport Committee shows that 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.
As well as detailing how "Wales risks being left behind in cultural and sporting achievement", the report calls for action and increased funding from the Welsh Government and highlights an urgent need for a strategy.
The Welsh Government says it will be responding to the committee's report and recommendations and criticised what they say have been "difficult funding settlements from the UK Government". They also said they would be re-allocating funding for the sector in the draft 2025-26 budget.
The report added that many sport and cultural venues across the UK are at threat of closure as a result of cuts with rising costs also adding pressure.
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."
The report has made several recommendations to the Welsh Government, including increasing funding on culture and sport until spending per head matches similar nations, introducing a preventative' category of spending in future budgets to recognise the value of culture and sport on physical and mental health, and ensuring culture and sport are recognised in key to achieving the goals of the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015.
Nia Wyn Evans from community theatre, Arad Goch said that rising costs compounded by cuts have made it "impossible to make ends meet".
She said: "With the costs of everything such as wages, electricity, travel costs and living costs increasing so quickly, and the money coming in staying the same or decreasing - it's impossible to make ends meet. There must be a compromise.
"Our main aim as a company is to provide theatre to as many children and young people as possible - but these numbers are going to decrease due to the length of our trips and our ability to go to different locations.
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.”
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