The Arts Council of Wales welcomed today’s announcement from Welsh Government on their proposed spending plans for 2025/26 and the increased budget for the Arts.
The announcement includes an uplift in funding to £33.314 million for the Arts Council of Wales, an increase on the 3.6% proposed in the draft budget announced in December, which takes the Arts Council back to the funding level of 2023/24 before the 10.5% cut announced last year.
In response to the announcement by Welsh Government today, Dafydd Rhys, Chief Executive of Arts Council of Wales said,
“We are glad that the Minister for Culture, Jack Sargeant has listened to the concerns of the arts sector and has been able to make the case for further support of arts and culture to the Cabinet. This is a positive signal for the sector that the arts are valued by Government, and we look forward to building on this baseline funding level in future years.
“We are currently looking in detail at our annual budget to see how we can best support the sector with the proposed new level of funding that’s included in this budget announcement. This increase in funding will also help build our resilience as an organisation and will enable us to offer more support and grant opportunities to the many arts organisations and artists who create a Wales of vibrant culture and community."