The Plaid Cymru-led Welsh Government has been criticised for spending thousands of pounds setting up a new agency for an area that is not devolved. Welsh Government culture minister Heledd Fychan announced the creation of a shadow broadcasting and communications authority, which she said will "protect and strengthen local and national public service media platforms in Wales." However, broadcasting remains a reserved matter for the UK Parliament.
Details of the Shadow Authority
The first step involves establishing a working group to advise on the authority's operation. Fychan has allocated £45,000 from Creative Wales’ budget for 2026-27 to fund the group. A recruitment campaign for members will launch in September, with the aim of holding the first meeting early in 2027. The authority itself is expected to be operational by 2028.
Fychan defended the plans, stating: "These plans have not been developed in isolation. They are based on evidence that a UK-wide framework for broadcasting does not cater to the realities of how a devolved UK operates." She cited a recent UK Government announcement about a local media fund as "the latest example of plans agreed for and about us, where we have no role in how those plans are shaped and implemented."
Political Backlash
Opposition parties were quick to condemn the move. Reform UK's shadow culture minister Louise Emery said: "Plaid Cymru are evading scrutiny about their proposed Shadow Broadcasting Authority. Reform UK Wales have asked for details about the legal basis of the organisation, and they are refusing to provide them. Broadcasting is not devolved to the Senedd; therefore, this is another wasted exercise when Plaid could be focusing on the day job improving health and education in Wales."
Conservative spokesman Paul Davies echoed the criticism: "The Welsh Government is wasting time and taxpayers' money on setting up a shadow authority in an area that isn't even devolved, while the issues people actually care about are being neglected. Families are waiting months for NHS treatment, educational standards have declined and the Welsh economy continues to lag behind the rest of the UK. Ministers should be focusing on growing the economy and improving public services, not creating new bodies with no real powers."
Cost Concerns and Future Steps
Davies also raised concerns about the total cost: "The Welsh Government has already committed £45,000 to this project, but this is just the start. Ministers have failed to explain what the total cost will be, how much more public money will be spent or what practical difference this body will make." The Welsh Conservatives do not support devolution of broadcasting, arguing the Welsh Government should concentrate on its existing responsibilities.
Fychan remains optimistic: "I am certain that any resource channelled towards a Shadow Broadcasting and Communications Authority for Wales will pay dividends. These plans mark the first step in pressing for the devolution of powers over broadcasting, to strengthen Wales’ media and to give Wales its voice in broadcasting and communications matters."
