Wales at a Crossroads: Why Culture Can No Longer Be Treated as Optional

For a nation that so often defines itself through story, song and shared identity, Wales now finds itself confronting an uncomfortable truth: cultural life across the country is under strain, and the cracks are widening. A decade of shrinking public investment, combined with rising costs and growing demand, has pushed the cultural sector into a precarious position. The question facing Wales is no longer whether culture matters — but whether we are prepared to protect it.

A new Green Paper study by The Audience Agency has brought this reality into sharp focus. Its findings paint a picture of a sector stretched thin: provision shrinking, access narrowing, and a workforce increasingly characterised by insecurity. The report warns that without decisive intervention, Wales risks drifting into a two‑tier cultural landscape — one where geography and income determine who gets to participate in the nation’s cultural life.

This is not merely an artistic concern. It is a social, economic and generational one.

A Sector Under Pressure

Since the introduction of the Well‑being of Future Generations (Wales) Act, public funding for culture has fallen by around 17%. In practical terms, this has meant fewer programmes, reduced opening hours, cancelled tours, and organisations forced to make impossible choices about what they can continue to offer.

The impact is felt most acutely in communities already facing disadvantage. When cultural provision shrinks, it is rural areas, low‑income families and marginalised groups who lose out first. The Green Paper highlights a growing disparity between those who can access cultural activity and those who cannot — a divide that risks becoming entrenched if left unaddressed.

Yet the appetite for culture in Wales remains remarkably strong. Seven in ten people take part in arts and cultural activity, and the sector contributes more than £1.6 billion to the Welsh economy each year, supporting around 37,000 jobs. Culture is not a luxury. It is a living, breathing part of Welsh identity, wellbeing and community cohesion.

The Case for a Culture Bill

Against this backdrop, there is a growing call for the next Welsh Government to introduce a Culture Bill — legislation that would place culture on a statutory footing, giving it the same level of protection already afforded to the Welsh language and active travel.

The argument is simple: if culture is essential to who we are, then it must be treated as essential in law.

A Culture Bill would embed cultural wellbeing into public decision‑making, ensuring that access to culture is not treated as an optional extra but as a core responsibility of public bodies. It would provide long‑term stability for organisations that currently operate in a climate of uncertainty, where annual funding cycles make strategic planning almost impossible.

Crucially, it would also send a clear message: that Wales sees culture not as a discretionary spend, but as a fundamental right.

Learning from Elsewhere

Wales is not alone in grappling with the question of how to protect cultural life in an era of financial constraint. Across Europe, governments are taking bold steps to embed cultural rights into law and national strategy.

Scotland and Ireland have already developed national cultural strategies backed by dedicated bodies and long‑term investment frameworks. Spain’s Cultural Rights Plan goes even further, combining statutory measures with policy commitments to ensure that cultural participation is recognised as a civic right.

The Green Paper warns that Wales risks falling behind these nations unless it acts. In a global landscape where cultural identity is increasingly politicised, legislated for and strategically protected, standing still is not a neutral position — it is a step backwards.

Voices from the Sector

Cultural leaders across Wales have been clear: this is not about protecting institutions for their own sake. It is about safeguarding the right of every person in Wales to access, enjoy and contribute to cultural life.

The vision emerging from the sector is one rooted in fairness, representation and long‑term thinking. A cultural rights approach — one that ensures both dominant and marginalised communities can participate meaningfully — is gaining traction. Advocates argue that embedding this approach in law would position Wales as a global leader in cultural democracy.

There is also growing recognition of the vital role played by freelancers, who make up a significant proportion of the cultural workforce. New guidance is being developed to help public bodies work more effectively with freelance talent, acknowledging that without them, much of Wales’s cultural life simply would not exist.

A Moment of Decision

The coming months will be pivotal. Public bodies, cultural organisations, businesses and communities are being invited to respond to the Green Paper’s findings and help shape the proposals for a future Culture Bill. Submissions are open until 1 April — a deadline that underscores the urgency of the moment.

This is not just a policy debate. It is a conversation about the kind of Wales we want future generations to inherit.

Do we want a Wales where cultural life is vibrant, accessible and protected?

Or a Wales where opportunity is dictated by postcode, and where the stories that define us fade quietly into the background?

The choice is ours — but it must be made soon.