Culture and Sport: Ambition into action

Since taking up this portfolio, I have been clear that culture, heritage, the creative industries, arts and sport are an essential part of national life. They are integral to our national identity, and this Government recognises their unique power to unlock Wales's economic potential, sustain vibrant and cohesive communities and promote the wellbeing of our people. That is why we are taking practical action to back ambition with investment.

To support our vision, I am announcing a further £2 million for sport, taking our total capital investment in 2026-27 to £13 million. This is not simply providing additional money against old plans. It reflects a deliberate choice to reprioritise capital funding towards the projects that will deliver the greatest impact. These include supporting the development of a closed-road cycling circuit in Cardiff that will leave a lasting legacy as a result of the Tour de France; accessibility improvements at swimming pools across Wales; expanding support for artificial pitch provision; and improve energy efficiency in sporting facilities.

I have taken the same approach with the arts. I have targeted an additional £2 million capital funding to Arts Council Wales, building on the £8 million Strategic Capital Investment fund already delivering vital support for arts buildings, equipment and digital transformation across the sector. 

Alongside this focused investment, I have committed £2 million this year to launch Nofio Ysgol, a new national school swimming and water safety programme providing at least 20 hours of lessons to pupils in Years 4 and 5, beginning across nine local authorities this month with full national coverage by September 2028. This is a new national priority in our Programme for Government, not a continuation of what came before. It was a pleasure being in Swansea last week seeing pupils from Clwyd Primary School and Ysgol Gymraeg Gellionnen enjoying their first lessons as part of this new programme.

I have supported local museums, archives and libraries, opened a new window for the Transformation Capital Grant, and launched a phased plan to establish a Shadow Broadcasting and Communications Authority for Wales.

These are not isolated decisions. Together, they mark the first practical steps in a much bigger shift in how this Government approaches culture and sport. This is the first phase of a wider programme to identify gaps in provision, tackle inequalities in access and strengthen community sport and physical activity in every part of Wales.

It is also why I launched a call for evidence at the National Eisteddfod in August to inform a new Culture and Sport Strategy for Wales, which is open until 18 December. For the first time, the Welsh Government is bringing culture, sport and the creative industries together in a single, coherent strategy, so that decisions about investment and priorities are made together rather than in isolation, as they too often have been in the past.

This strategy is about understanding the true state of culture and sport in Wales, being honest about where past approaches have fallen short, and using evidence rather than habit to decide what we fund and why. 

I have also commissioned Sport Wales to undertake a comprehensive audit of regional and community sports facilities, so that future investment, wherever it is directed, is based on clear evidence of need rather than legacy patterns of funding. This audit will directly inform how capital is allocated in the years ahead.

The Welsh Government's new Creative and Culture Forum will also begin gathering evidence and identifying actions on fair pay and working conditions across the arts, culture, heritage and creative sectors. I was pleased to chair the first meeting of the new Forum last week and I am confident the focus of the Forum will be a valuable contribution to this area of work. 

This delivery matters because it is about more than individual funding decisions or programmes. It is about creating the conditions for people across Wales to take part in, enjoy and be inspired by culture and sport in their everyday lives. The experiences of this summer showed exactly why that matters and gave me a glimpse of what is possible when we get this right. 

It was a privilege to be in Glasgow for the Commonwealth Games and to see Team Wales compete with determination, pride and distinction. Their performances showcased the exceptional sporting talent in Welsh sport, the power of our athletes to inspire ambition in every part of Wales, and the pride in seeing Team Wales become many fans’ second favourite nation if they weren’t Welsh themselves.

At the same time, tens of thousands of people have enjoyed outdoor music festivals, visited Cadw’s historic sites, taken part in free Open Doors events and joined the Summer Reading Challenge in our libraries. 

There were also several powerful cultural moments: the celebration of 850 years of the National Eisteddfod in Llantwd; Effi o Blaenau reaching global audiences in cinemas; and celebrating Matthew Rhys’s double-Emmy-winning achievement in Los Angeles.

But I do not want this Government's policy to be defined by moments alone. I want it defined by a deliberate, evidence-led reprioritisation of how we invest, with a strategy shaped by the people and sectors who will be affected by it.

Listening, evidence and partnership will shape the next phase of this work. This national conversation will help determine where we go from here, and I look forward to continuing to hear directly from the sector and the public as it progresses. 

My focus is to build on momentum, work with partners across the country and ensure culture and sport play their full part in a fairer, healthier, more confident and more prosperous Wales.