In the lead up to the 2021 Senedd election, Wales Arts Review asked the leaders of the main political parties to outline their visions for the arts and culture sector. With Wales’ recovery from coronavirus dominating party manifestos and campaigning, we wanted to give a platform to each party to spotlight their plans for the sector under their leadership.
As the arts and culture are a devolved policy area, the Members of the Senedd (MSs) elected on 6th May will have the power to make laws that affect the daily lives of artists, performers and creators the length and breadth of Wales. The next Welsh Government elected at the 2021 Senedd election will make important decisions such as funding arts organisations and creative projects in communities across the country.
Wales Arts Review reached out to the leaders of Welsh Labour, Plaid Cymru, the Welsh Conservatives, the Welsh Liberal Democrats, the Wales Green Party, Reform UK Wales, Propel, and the Abolish the Welsh Assembly Party. Each party has been given a free space to outline their policy proposals, as well as their hopes and ambitions for the arts as they see fit. Wales Arts Review would like to thank all contributing leaders for participating in this series and offering our readers a one-stop shop to read and consider how they’ll vote at the 2021 Senedd election.
The election, which will be the sixth since the dawn of devolution in 1999, will be held on Thursday, 6th May. Voters – including 16- and 17-year-olds for the first time – will elect 60 MSs to form the next parliament. Voters will go to the polls across Wales on the same day as parliamentary elections in Scotland and local elections in England.
Links for each party contribution will be updated below as they appear on the site: