In their 2024 general election manifesto, Plaid Cymru says they will “support the devolution of broadcasting powers to Wales”. This would include the power to regulate, oversee and secure accountability for broadcasting and communications within Wales. They also call for “the establishment of an independent Broadcasting Authority for Wales” and say they “see no reason why governance of S4C should be in the hands of Westminster, rather than our democratically elected representatives in Wales”.
The manifesto is responding to mounting pressure among some Welsh political parties for control over broadcasting to be devolved to Wales. In December 2021, the Welsh Labour government and Plaid Cymru announced a new cooperation agreement that outlined several policy commitments over the next three years. Among them was the creation of a new shadow broadcasting and communications authority, which would draw up plans to devolve broadcasting and communications powers to the Senedd (the Welsh parliament).
This signified a major shift on the part of the government that had, until that point, argued that broadcasting and media policy matters should be a matter reserved for the UK government. Although Plaid Cymru withdrew from the cooperation agreement in May 2024 following a vote of no confidence in the first minister , Vaughan Gething, plans to establish an authority to oversee broadcasting and communication in Wales are still going ahead. In addition to calls in the report of an.