Drakeford holds back on £59m arts support pledge

FIRST Minister Mark Drakeford has refused to commit to giving £59m to Wales’ struggling arts sector as a support package.

Mr Drakeford said the Welsh Government would decide how any additional money is spent only after UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak gives his summer economic update this week.

The sum was triggered by the UK Government’s announcement of a £1.57bn support package for the UK arts sector, including museums, galleries, theatres and music venues.

But on Monday, Mr Drakeford said he would wait to assess whether other areas of Wales’ funding were to be affected following Mr Sunak’s speech to Parliament.

“I want to wait until we see the whole package, then Cabinet will sit down, knowing how much money we have at our disposal, and attend to the many demands there are for help here in Wales, including help that is needed by the arts sector,” he told the Welsh Government’s daily press briefing.

He added: “When the UK Government announces a headline figure, what they very often don’t tell us is what is new money, and what is money that they are simply recycling from existing budgets.

“There was an announcement about a week ago of money for tutoring in the education service. It turned out when we looked at it that most of that money wasn’t new at all, it was just money they were reimbursing from their own budgets.

“It’s why I’m reluctant today to commit to saying anything on the £59m, because so easily on Wednesday we could learn that we are losing money from other changes made at Whitehall and there won’t be £59m after all.”

On Friday before the announcement was made, Mr Drakeford had accused the UK Government of “trailing but not delivering” a package of support for the sector.

Venues are still not allowed to reopen, with the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff having cancelled all shows until April 2021 – putting 250 jobs at risk.

The annual turnover of industry in Wales is round £2.2bn a year and employs 56,000 people.

The Welsh Conservative Party said the Welsh Government had “no excuses” not to “quickly” use the £59m sum to protect the country’s cultural venues.

Its leader in the Senedd, Paul Davies, tweeted following Mr Drakeford’s press conference: “No ifs or buts. The Welsh Government needs to urgently see to the £59m reaching out cultural venues.”

The comments came as an open letter from Plaid Cymru calling for the £59m to be spent on the arts sector “in full” has been backed by Charlotte Church and Catrin Finch, the former official harpist to the Prince of Wales.

The signatories also include actor Carys Eleri, national poet of Wales Ifor ap Glyn and actor Mark Lewis Jones.

Plaid leader Adam Price said: “The announcement of £59m coming to the Welsh arts industry will no doubt be a great relief to so many within the sector.

“However, the Welsh Government must now show leadership in Wales by establishing a task force that ensures that the money is distributed fairly across the sector.

“Having spoken to members of the arts sector, it is clear that they have been shouting from the rooftops for help, support and leadership during this crisis.

“Redundancy consultation periods are happening across the country and in a few weeks, that process will be irreversible.

“Many freelance workers who fell through the gaps have not received a penny since this crisis began and are already facing losing their livelihoods and homes.

“The Welsh Government must now show leadership by working with the industry to create a clear, safe and responsible plan that will guide the industry and the workers affected out of the crisis.

Plaid’s Shadow Culture Minister, Sian Gwenllian, said: “The huge number of signatures behind the letter demonstrates the mass support there is behind saving the arts.

“The arts are such a valuable element of Wales, not only culturally but economically too. If the industry is left to collapse it would be have catastrophic and irreversible repercussions.

“Supporting the whole sector and recognising its role in helping people across Wales to express and decipher the Covid emergency and lockdown had to be a central and integral part of the Welsh Government’s Covid recovery plans.”

In the wake of the UK Government’s announcement, arts organisations in Wales had already spoken of their hopes over how the £59m would be spent.

Nick Capaldi, chief executive of the Arts Council of Wales, said: “We do, of course, understand the overall financial pressures that the Welsh Government is facing.

“But arts and culture suffered a catastrophic loss of income from the overnight closure of venues, and given that the public resumption of activity for many could still be some months away, every penny counts as individuals and organisations cling on.”

Mat Milsom, managing director of the Wales Millennium Centre, said: “It’s extremely good news for the arts and heritage sector that the UK Government has announced a £1.57bn support package, £59m of which will be invested in Wales.

“We’re very keen to hear further details of how and when this funding will be shared.

“In our case, we hope it will allow us to create more of our own work to showcase Welsh talent, to continue providing opportunities for young people and to invest more in the talented freelance arts community in Wales.

“This funding must be used to build a radical, new, more inclusive arts sector, and Wales Millennium Centre takes its own share of that responsibility very seriously.

“Once the full details become clear, this will be at the forefront of our strategic planning.

“In the short term, however, we remind all our supporters that we will not open until at least January 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.”