Council calls for the devolution of powers over broadcasting to Wales
A Welsh council has passed a motion calling for the devolution of broadcasting powers to Wales.
The motion was agreed by Gwynedd Council on Thursday (March 6).
The council has called on the Welsh Government and the UK Government to note the decision and work towards transferring responsibility for broadcasting from Westminster to Cardiff Bay as soon as possible.
Plaid Cymru’s previous Co-operation Agreement with Welsh ministers pledged that broadcasting and communications powers should be devolved to the Senedd.
In March last year, the Welsh Government committed to establishing a Broadcasting and Communications Advisory Body for Wales, to set about breaking the ground on devolved powers in the field of broadcasting and communications.
But there has been no further announcement since then.
‘Happy’
Bowydd and Rhiw Councillor Elfed ap Elwyn, proposed Gwynedd Council’s motion.
He said: “I must say that I am extremely happy that Gwynedd Council has passed the proposal which says that powers over broadcasting need to be devolved to Wales.
“It has become clear that Wales doesn’t get the full picture when it comes to discussing key issues for us as a nation and that the media has not had the same opportunity to grow as in other countries, due to a lack of control over our country’s media.
“Now, I want to see negotiations between Westminster and the Welsh Government begining.”
The motion has been welcomed by the Welsh language campaign group – Cymdeithas yr Iaith.
Collaborate
Mirain Owen on behalf of Cymdeithas yr Iaith’s Broadcasting Group said: “We welcome Gwynedd Council’s decision to call on the Government in Westminster to collaborate with the Welsh Government to begin the process of devolving powers over broadcasting and the media to Wales, and for the Welsh Government to proceed with the work of preparing with Westminster on the best way to make this a reality.
“It is timely that this happens now, last month Capital Cymru decided to bring its Welsh medium provision across north Wales to an end following new legislation from the British Government allowing it to do so.
“Over the last decade, the Senedd’s Culture Committee, the Independent Commission on the Constitutional Future of Wales, and the Welsh Government have declared that they are in favour of this policy.
“It is high time that Keir Starmer’s Government in London listened to public opinion in Wales. Securing control over our media in Wales is the only way to protect and grow services and ensure they thrive.”
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Absolutely essential.
The evidence of history shows Wales is always an afterthought if it’s thought of at all.
Without more more independence we will remain 2nd class brits at the end of the cue for everything.
This is true even before you consider that we have our own culture and language.
If Wales is 2nd class now, how will independence change that? Wales is xenophobic as it is and particularly with regard to English reading the comments here.
Who is going to pay the free prescriptions and free bus travel, what will the currency be and more to the point how will any wealth be generated?
I’m guessing you still live at home.
err we pay taxes as well you know. Look at the Baltic countries
Expensive business. How do you separate from national, regional, opt outs or is it going to be a separate feed to the transmitters (that are owned by Arquiva).
e.g. I want to watch BBC Blue Planet, will that still be carried and the Welsh options are on a separate mux? It will be on BBC Wales. Or say I want to watch ITV Wales news or a CH4 doc, how will this work?
There already are different regimes for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in regards to broadcasting. S4C, STV (in Scotland) etc, so what would happen would probably stay the same, but with more Welsh democratic accountability. They are not going to prevent you from watching popular UK wide programmes like Blue Planet because it would be an unpopular decision amongst the Welsh public and more people would realign their aerials towards an English transmitter. Growing up in the 1980s and early 90s there was a lot of resentment towards the Welsh language because viewers wanted Channel Four and not S4C.… Read more »
Plus we would be to have our own Crown Jewels and add the Six Nations to it.
Sort of what I need to know to get on board. Do the people calling for this know what they are calling for? I know the layout as it stands, the feeds, muxs, opt outs and so on. Just need to see what exactly they are calling for.
The real issue is resistance from the media themselves to the devolution of broadcasting. BBC Wales is very comfortable as an outstation of London, being thrown the odd bone like Doctor Who. Also S4C and production companies to an extent. They fear loss of funding through devolution, with some justification given that WG piles more and more into the NHS black hole. Welsh Ministers know it too which is why all the reports gather dust.
Simples defund the BBC then make everything pay to view. That’s fair isn’t it?
nah, bad plan. News for example, local radio, distribution, commissioning.
Public service broadcasting is important otherwise everything is only broadcast for someone else’s financial gain.
Exactly.
Coupled with an aerial distribution reaches are far greater number of people than internet. And you don’t see Amazon or Netflix news crews outside courts etc.
As long as it means a Welsh Eurovision entry.