Scandal-hit S4C needs new chair, say Welsh MPs

The scandal-hit Welsh language broadcaster S4C needs a new chair, a cross-party group of MPs has said.

MPs on the Welsh Affairs Committee said they were "concerned" by evidence given by the organisation's current chairman Rhodri Williams, on Wednesday.

They accused the channel's board of an "absence of cultural leadership".

Mr Williams' term ends on 1 April - it is up to UK Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer to reinstate him, or appoint his replacement.

Committee chairman Stephen Crabb told BBC Wales that Mr Williams should not be reappointed in April, rather than immediately replaced.

S4C has been in turmoil after a string of bullying allegations and the sacking of two officers, including the chief executive.

Both have denied accusations made of them.

In committee on Wednesday, Mr Crabb accused Mr Williams of acting as "judge, jury and executioner" in his actions last autumn.

The MP was speaking in relation to S4C chief executive Sian Doyle, who was sacked in November after bullying allegations which she denies were investigated by a law firm.

Mr Williams clarified that the decision to dismiss Ms Doyle was made by S4C's board, but said he had personally sacked Llinos Griffin-Williams, a decision ratified by the board later.

Former chief content officer Ms Griffin-Williams had allegedly criticising ex-Wales scrum-half Mike Phillips's Welsh language skills in Nantes during the Rugby World Cup.

She denies this and has threatened legal action against S4C.

Mr Williams defended his actions to MPs, saying they were in "the best interest of the staff", and that he would be "very happy" to continue for a second term as chair.

In a letter to Ms Frazer, committee chairman and Conservative MP Stephen Crabb says: "We are concerned at the approach Mr Williams and the board took in seeking advice and reaching assurance in relation to key decisions it made.

Mr Crabb added that the committee was "not satisfied by the assurances from Mr Williams" and lead non-executive board member Chris Jones "that the different complaints made against specific individuals had been handled equitably and with proper consideration of the fair treatment of all those involved".

He said the committee was "concerned about the ability of the current leadership to oversee the changes required".

"Given the importance of S4C and the scale of the challenges with respect to improving governance and culture within the organisation, we recommend that the government appoint a new chair to take this work forward," Mr Crabb added.

At the committee session, Mr Williams said that the board had "acted effectively and quickly" once they were aware of the problem at the channel and put in place a process which "gave safety and security" to staff who wanted to speak up.

Capital Law was commissioned to hold an investigation after a letter from the Bectu union claimed there was a "culture of fear" among staff.

In the Cardiff law firm's report, participants said that Ms Doyle's leadership style was "dictatorial, creating a culture of fear".

Mr Williams told the MPs that the report provided a "damning indictment of the leadership culture" over the last two years, which he claimed "got even worse" once the investigation was underway.

"Capital Law makes it very clear where responsibility for that lies, I don't think it is with me or the board," he said.

The report, Mr Williams said, makes clear that the chief executive, Ms Doyle, acted in a "confrontational, inconsiderate and abusive manner, and that is where the failure has been".

As a result, he says, the non-executive members of the board "acted decisively and quickly to terminate the chief executive's employment".

"I am confident that it was the right decision, and that we have done the best in the interest of the staff of S4C and also in the interest of the organisation as a whole," he added.

Mr Crabb questioned whether the two senior leaders were treated fairly, compared to complaints made against the chair Mr Williams.

Mr Jones said the accusations were "of a very different nature and very different circumstances" and that he believed that all cases have been dealt with in an "appropriate manner".

Discussing the dismissal of Ms Griffin-Williams, Mr Williams said her actions "created immediate detrimental effect to the reputation of S4C" and that he had no doubt that what happened constituted "gross misconduct".

Plaid Cymru MP Ben Lake also raised concerns that neither Ms Doyle or Ms Griffin-Williams had received advance sight of the Capital Law report, despite being criticised in it.

Although S4C has been without a permanent chief executive since November, chairman Rhodri Williams confirmed that the process to find a replacement for Sian Doyle had not started.

He said there was "no timeline for recruitment", but that "sooner rather than later would be best".

Mr Williams became S4C's chairman in 2020.

Asked, by Mr Crabb, if it might be better for the channel to "move on with new leadership" in the role, Mr Williams replied: "That's certainly not what I'm told by members of staff or by members of the production community."

The decision on whether he will be offered a second term was a matter for the culture secretary, he told the committee.

Ms Doyle has said she does not "recognise or accept the allegations made" about her time at the Welsh language broadcaster.