Westminster rejects calls for Senedd to have say on S4C chair
Chris Haines, ICNN Senedd reporter
The UK Government has rejected cross-party calls for the Senedd to have a formal say in appointing the chair of S4C.
Ian Murray, the UK media minister, resisted the Senedd culture committee’s calls to address an “anomaly” that powers over the Welsh-language broadcaster do not reside in Wales.
Mr Murray confirmed the UK Government has “no plans to change current appointment processes”, making the case for a single, UK-wide regulatory regime for broadcasting.
In a letter to the committee, the minister wrote: “The UK-wide approach to broadcasting generates significant economies of scale that support Welsh broadcasting and production.”
Mr Murray said powers over broadcasting remain reserved to Westminster but he stressed the UK Government is committed to ensuring the interests of all nations are reflected.
‘Working well’
He told the committee the Welsh Government was asked to suggest potential candidates, and had a representative on an advisory assessment panel, before being consulted on May’s final appointment of Delyth Evans as S4C chair.
The minister wrote: “Our experience… was that these arrangements worked well and there was effective collaboration and consultation.”
He pointed to a 2011 agreement with the Welsh Government which contains a commitment to consult Welsh ministers on appointments to the boards of S4C and the BBC.
Mr Murray, who was sacked as Scotland secretary in September, praised S4C as “central to life in Wales” and making an “enormously valuable contribution to the creative economy.
Arguing the current system provides sufficient scrutiny and accountability, he said the Senedd’s culture committee is able to call the S4C chair to give evidence.
‘Indelibly linked’
But Delyth Jewell, who chairs the culture committee, suggested scrutiny of broadcasting and accountability of those responsible would improve if the Senedd was given a greater role.
She said: “Whilst we endorse the appointment of Delyth Evans, we believe that the committee should have had a formal involvement in the appointment of the chair of S4C.
“Indeed, we had previously called for our committee – and the Senedd – to have had this involvement, which was a view supported on a cross-party basis.”
Writing to UK culture secretary Lisa Nandy, the Plaid Cymru politician suggested her committee should hold a pre-appointment hearing with the preferred candidate.
The committee’s call reflects its wider position, having previously recommended similar scrutiny for Welsh appointments to the BBC and Ofcom boards.
Ms Jewell wrote: “Whilst we recognise that broadcasting is a matter reserved to the UK Government, it is indelibly linked to a range of devolved matters including the Welsh language which is particularly the case with S4C.
“It is an anomaly that powers over the only public-service broadcaster operating solely in the Welsh language do not reside in the nation where that language is primarily spoken.”
‘40% cut’
She argued Welsh and UK ministers should have joint responsibility for such appointments, a key recommendation of her committee’s 2024 report on public-service broadcasting.
Ms Jewell, who is deputy leader of the Plaid Cymru Senedd group, reiterated calls for powers over Welsh-language broadcasting, including S4C, to be devolved to Wales.
“I would wish to take this opportunity to remind the UK Government of the importance of S4C to Wales as a nation,” she wrote. “The channel’s work over the past four decades in providing Welsh language content has been of pivotal importance.”
Ms Jewell called for S4C to be funded adequately in light of its key role in achieving the target of a million Welsh speakers and doubling daily use of the language by 2050.
In its 2024 report, the committee proposed solving uncertainty by introducing a formula, including a “ratchet mechanism” to prevent S4C’s budget from being cut in real-terms.
She warned: “For far too long, the future funding of S4C has been uncertain. Since 2010, the UK Government has reduced S4C’s funding in real-terms by roughly 40%.
“This is a significant reduction.”
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The bloody brass neck of it. ‘No, you cannot have a say over the broadcast outlet which exists specifically to serve YOUR country in YOUR language. Who the hell do you think you are? We will decide this for you because, as always, WE know best’. Another issue which screams out that we must have independence.
I am so pleased that Welsh interests are “reflected”. For hundreds of years London has taken a keen interest in Welsh affairs and our Welsh language. On the former, it has been a case of ‘what can we extract from them?’ On the latter, it has been ‘how can we get rid of it?’ Nothing changes!
Given that the Welsh language is unique to Wales and central to devolved policy areas such as education, culture, and community life, it is difficult to justify why key decisions about S4C continue to be taken in London. Those responsibilities would be better exercised in Wales, by people with a direct understanding of the language’s role and the needs of its speakers. Leaving such decisions in the hands of Westminster ministers, who may have little connection to or knowledge of Welsh linguistic and cultural priorities, creates an anomaly where the broadcaster most closely tied to devolved matters remains under reserved… Read more »
Considering the English aren’t actually British, shouldn’t they be excluded from any involvement in the appointment of key positions at the British Broadcasting Corporation.
Otherwise the BBC should be rebranded as the English Broadcasting Corporation, to reflect the anti British/Celtic rhetoric that they often churn out, especially the very strange individual in charge of their ‘sport’ coverage.
Yes of course, we could have Wales making decisions for Wales now could we?
The union is an insult and a joke.
How dare you question our governance! We English colonisers know what’s best for you.
Abolish Westminster
It’s more. Do as we say from Whitehall. We’ll decide what’s good for us not what’s good for you. It’s getting tiresome now. We really do need to send autocratic Union Flag waving little England Labour a strong message next May.