Celebrities call on Tories to keep S4C funding pledge

Submitted by Anhysbys on Llun, Tach 23rd am 11:31 yb
 

Poet Benjamin Zephaniah and international rugby referee Nigel Owens are among a group of celebrities who have sent an open letter to David Cameron calling on the Conservatives to stick to their manifesto pledge to 'safeguard' S4C's budget.  

The news of the letter comes as campaigners expect to hear about the Government contribution to S4C's budget in the spending review announcement on Wednesday. This year less than £7 million goes from government coffers to the only Welsh language television channel, compared to one hundred million it was contributing five years ago. In the Conservatives' general election manifesto this year, there was a pledge to "safeguard the funding and editorial independence of S4C”. 

Among the other signatories of the letter are the artists Caryl Parry Jones, Dafydd Iwan, Dewi Pws, Casi Wyn, weather presenter Siân Lloyd and DJ Huw Stephens. In the letter to the Prime Minister they say: "… S4C is the only Welsh-language television channel in the world, and it makes a priceless contribution to ensuring a prosperous future for Welsh, the oldest living language in Britain ... When … cuts were made five years ago, it was said that any further cuts would mean that the work of the broadcaster would not be able to continue. Currently, the UK Government contributes less than £7 million a year to S4C's budget, with the remainder of its finances coming from the licence fee. This small grant is one of the few ways the UK Government supports the Welsh language directly. Your Welsh Manifesto pledged that you as a Government would "safeguard" S4C's budget. We welcome that, and ask you to honour that pledge in the spending review that will soon be published." 

Responding to the letter, Jamie Bevan, Chair of Welsh language campaign group Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg commented: "The letter reflects the strong support for the channel. S4C has been critical to the survival of the Welsh language over the decades. Any further cuts would destroy the channel, and severely undermine the language. Welsh is a treasure for so many people across the British Isles, it would be a blow to the cultural wealth of the world if S4C was threatened further. There was a clear Conservative party pledge at the elections that there would be no further cuts to the broadcaster: if they were to break that pledge, there would be serious consequences for them in the Assembly elections next year." 
 

"We don't want to see the BBC swallow up S4C and dominate the market even more. That would be the consequence. What's needed for the Welsh language to develop further into the digital age, and for the language thrive in the coming years, is to further develop S4C."