BBC-S4C funding announcement
25/10/2011
Commenting on the news that BBC Trust and the DCMS appear to have come to an agreement on S4C funding for 2015 – 2017, Plaid Cymru’s broadcasting spokespeople Bethan Jenkins AM and Hywel Williams MP have said that although a number of recent changes are to be welcomed, further significant assurances are needed in order to safeguard an acceptable future for the channel.
Plaid’s broadcasting spokesperson in the Senedd Bethan Jenkins AM said:
“Although this latest announcement is in part good news, and is a clear sign of how Plaid Cymru’s work at a Welsh, UK and European level is achieving important concessions, the funding formula is only part of a package of measures that relate to the period 2013-2017, and a number of further issues still need to be resolved.
“There are outstanding questions on what conditions may be put on the funding. The funding agreement appears to be dependent on accepting the Operating Agreement handed down by the BBC Trust. We believe that is essential that this operating agreement should be developed collaboratively between both broadcasters and not set by the BBC Trust unilaterally.
“We also need assurances that the BBC wouldn’t withhold funding if the Trust disagreed with S4C’s editorial and corporate decision making. We need to know what will happen to the government’s £7 million contribution during the final two years of the settlement and what will happen post charter.”
Commenting on Plaid Cymru work in Westminster, MP Hywel Williams added:
“We have laid amendments to the Public Bodies Bill which would ensure that no change can be made that will compromise the editorial or operational independence of S4C, and ensures a role for S4C in determining its own budget – rather than just handing those powers over to the Secretary of State and the BBC.
“There cannot be a situation where the BBC can withhold finance, from the licence fee, from S4C or determine the operating agreement without S4C being involved from the start.
“Over the last year the campaign has been very successful in terms of forcing the UK Government to roll back a long way on its plans – they will no longer have the power to abolish S4C at a whim as they did at the start of the Bill and they have agreed to ensure S4C’s funding until 2017, albeit at a lower level than anyone in Wales would like, and this is written in legislation.
“Despite those moves, the appalling treatment of S4C in the past year shows that we cannot trust a government in London to make decisions on issues which are crucial to Welsh public life, and why responsibility for the media in Wales should be devolved.”