Coronavirus: Arts 'desperate' for Welsh Government support

The arts in Wales are "desperate" for an announcement from ministers on funding, according to Plaid Cymru.

A total of £59m was made available to Wales by the UK government earlier this month, but the Welsh Government has not announced how it plans to spend the money.

There are warnings workers could be forced to leave the sector.

The Welsh Government said it is finalising funding arrangements.

It will be making an announcement "very shortly", it added.

Plaid Cymru culture spokeswoman Sian Gwenllian said: "It's either incompetence on their behalf, bureaucracy and red tape is holding things back, or worse the Welsh Government is just not interested in supporting the arts and is ignoring the whole sector."

She said parts of the sector were already discussing redundancies with staff, and unless an announcement came soon it was "going to be too late for some people".

The UK government announced a £1.57bn coronavirus support fund for the arts and culture organisations in England on 6 July.

As a result of that announcement, £59m was made available for the Welsh Government to spend how it wished.

The Arts Council of Wales warned in a letter to the sector last week that it cannot assume that the full £59m "will be available for the arts sector".

It said it was still awaiting clarity from the Welsh Government "on what the picture will be for Wales".

Angharad Lee, a freelance director who works in theatre, musicals and opera, said the sector needs clarity.

Ms Lee received a stabilisation grant from the Arts Council of Wales and she said without it she would be leaving the sector.

"Nobody can plan anything until we know what money is going where," Ms Lee told BBC Wales.

"The Welsh Government need to act now or many people will leave the sector because they can't afford to exist. People are losing faith in the sector because they feel like the government don't value the industry."