image for illustration: Fiona Newton
The Welsh Government has published its Policy and Strategy Document on ‘Priorities for culture: An assessment on the impact of the priorities for culture’.
The Welsh Government writes:
What action is the Welsh Government considering and why?
The Welsh Government is publishing Priorities for Culture (‘the Priorities’) which is a new policy framework for Wales’ public and culture sectors, defining the direction for the arts, museums, libraries, archives, and the historic environment sectors. It also sets a framework for other sectors, policy areas and partner organisations who are committed to supporting and promoting culture in Wales.
The Priorities for Culture document is structured around three priorities. Priority One is ‘culture brings people together’, Priority Two is ‘a nation of culture’, and Priority Three is ‘culture is resilient and sustainable’. These priorities are underpinned by a series of ambitions. The intrinsic value of culture is recognised within the document and there is a commitment to the principle that ‘every person in Wales has the right to access, create, participate in, and to see themselves reflected in the cultural activity of our nation’. The development of the Priorities document has been guided by the Wellbeing of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 (WBFGA) and the five sustainable ways of working. These ways of working lay the foundation for how we intend to deliver the outcomes we want to see.
- Long-term: One of the challenges identified in the document is the significant current financial constraint for those in receipt of public funding. The Welsh Government believes there is a need to outline priorities and to continue to ensure these priorities are regularly reviewed.
- Prevention: The Priorities document has been developed with consideration to how problems can be prevented in the future. It includes forward thinking and longterm ambitions which consider how culture can prevent potential negative social, economic, and environmental impacts.
- Integration: In addition to the seven well-being goals set out in the Well-being of Future Generations Act (Wales) 2015, the Priorities document clearly aligns with other Welsh Government legislation and policy initiatives including Cymraeg 2050, Equality Plan 2020-2024, the Anti-racist Wales Action Plan (ArWAP), A healthier Wales: long term plan for health and social care, the Rights of Children and Young Persons (Wales) Measure 2011, the Net Zero Wales Carbon Budget, the Digital Strategy for Wales, Age friendly Wales: our strategy for ageing society and the Creative Skills Action Plan.
- Collaboration: The Priorities document is intended to provide the framework for future collaborative activity across the culture sectors and with wider sectors in Wales. The Welsh Government is committed to supporting collaboration and working in partnership to achieve greater impact and this ambition is apparent in the new policy framework.
- Involvement: The Priorities were developed on the basis of considerable engagement with stakeholders across the arts, culture, and heritage sectors in Wales. The initial engagement process included over one hundred conversations with sector representatives, community representatives, digital experts, staff at national cultural bodies, social partners, and policy makers. Internal and external stakeholders have monitored the development of the Priorities as part of an internal policy reference group and an external steering group, which included independent sector specialists and freelancers. Both the internal and external groups will continue to monitor the final stages of policy development.
An extended fifteen-week consultation period launched on 23 May 2024. A summary of the consultation responses was published on the Welsh Government website in January 2025 (Priorities for Culture 2024-to-2030 Summary of Consultation Responses). The consultation received a total of 376 responses, included online responses (209), emailed responses (75), and hard copy responses (92). Responses were also provided as part of a series of consultation events and workshops. Responses from the consultation have informed this final Integrated Impact Assessment (IIA). In October 2023, the Welsh Government published research (Review of the Culture Sector Evidence Base in Wales) which aimed to identify and assess existing sources and evidence gaps across the museums, libraries, arts, archives and heritage sectors in Wales. This research has informed the content of this IIA. This IIA summary presents contextual data and research relevant to the culture sector in Wales and the potential impact of the proposed Priorities. The document gives a broad overview of the potential social, economic, cultural, and environmental effects of the Priorities as a new policy framework. A range of evidence, data and stakeholder views have been incorporated as part of developing this IIA.
The Welsh Government is publishing this final version of the IIA alongside the final publication of the Priorities for Culture.
Conclusion
How have people most likely to be affected by the proposal been involved in developing it? The Means, working in collaboration with Arad Research and Bop Consulting were appointed in 2023 to independently facilitate a series of one hundred engagement conversations and seventeen consultation workshops with a broad range of sector stakeholders and interested groups. Their findings informed the Priorities document. Stakeholders who attended workshops included young people, older people, people with protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010, Welsh speakers and other people who may be affected by the new Priorities. We know involving the public and stakeholders is central to successful policy-making and delivery. In keeping with the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, we continued to involve people as part of our consultation exercises in advance of the Priorities document being published.
