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https://www.europesays.com/uk/1090922/ BROADCASTING: Wales’ new media watchdog won’t exist until 2028 — as critics call it “constitutional navel-gazing” #Britain #GreatBritain #HeleddFychanMS #LouiseEmeryMS #PaulDaviesMS #PlaidCymru #ReformUK #S4C #Senedd #UK #UnitedKingdom #Wales #WelshConservatives #WelshGovernment

BROADCASTING: Wales’ new media watchdog won’t exist until 2028 — as critics call it “constitutional navel-gazing”

Wales is getting a new broadcasting body — but not until 2028, and its first form will be a working group advising on how to set it up.

Culture minister Heledd Fychan set out the timetable for a Shadow Broadcasting and Communications Authority for Wales in a written statement on Wednesday, meeting the Plaid Cymru government’s pledge to publish plans within its first 100 days.

The authority is intended to protect and strengthen public service media in Wales — and the Welsh Government says it is the first step towards pressing for broadcasting powers to be devolved from Westminster.

What actually happens, and when

The first step is a working group. Recruitment for its members starts in September, with the group expected to hold its first meeting early in 2027.

Fychan says she expects detailed recommendations on the authority’s structure, status and remit early in 2028, with a formal decision confirmed in spring 2028.

She has set aside £45,000 from Creative Wales’ budget to fund the work this financial year.

That means the “shadow” authority itself — a body watching over broadcasting in Wales without yet holding formal powers — is at least two years away, with the working group doing the design work in between.

“Completely unnecessary”

The plan has vocal critics in the Senedd — Fychan’s statement acknowledges “concerns expressed by some Members”.

Reform UK’s shadow culture minister Louise Emery called the authority “completely unnecessary” in a Senedd debate last month, describing the government’s culture plans as “more constitutional navel-gazing, more quangos, more slow state-building towards independence, and more cost.”

Welsh Conservative culture spokesperson Paul Davies questioned the spending. “Surely this is not the best possible use of resources, especially given that these powers are not devolved,” he told the Senedd, pressing the minister on how much the body would cost and how it would operate.

The previous Labour government considered the same central recommendation — made by an Expert Panel on Broadcasting in 2023 — and stopped short, opting for an advisory group rather than a shadow authority. The Plaid government is going further than its predecessor was willing to.

“Plans agreed for and about us”

Fychan says the case rests on evidence that a UK-wide broadcasting framework “does not cater to the realities of how a devolved UK operates”, pointing to backing from the Institute of Welsh Affairs and the Independent Commission on the Constitutional Future of Wales.

Her statement singles out the UK Government’s new Local Media Fund — support for local journalism designed in Westminster — as “the latest example of plans agreed for and about us, where we have no role in how those plans are shaped and implemented.”

Broadcasting and communications are currently reserved to Westminster, with services like S4C and BBC Wales operating under UK-wide frameworks — the structures the authority would eventually scrutinise from a Welsh vantage point.

Fychan says she is “certain that any resource channelled towards a Shadow Broadcasting and Communications Authority for Wales will pay dividends.”

Whether it survives contact with the Senedd arithmetic is another question — the government lost its first budget vote 49–44 on Tuesday night, and every spending line now faces a chamber where it lacks a majority.

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SENEDD: Paul Davies bids to become next Llywydd – as Welsh Conservatives reflect on Sam Kurtz losing his seat

Veteran Welsh Conservative MS Paul Davies has formally launched a bid to become the next Llywydd of the Senedd – putting himself forward to chair the seventh Welsh Parliament after one of the most dramatic election results in devolved history.

Davies, who was re-elected for Ceredigion Penfro last week, confirmed his intention to run in a statement issued on Sunday – saying he had been urged to stand by colleagues and believed he had the experience to take on one of the most senior roles in Welsh politics.

The Llywydd – the Welsh equivalent of the Speaker – chairs debates in the Senedd chamber, maintains order during proceedings and ensures parliamentary rules are followed. The role is elected by Members of the Senedd in a secret ballot at the start of each new term.

It is one of the very first decisions the new 96-seat Senedd will make when it sits for the first time in the coming weeks.

“There has been much speculation since the election about who will take on the role of the next Llywydd in the Senedd,” Davies said. “I want to make it clear that, after consultation with colleagues and having been urged to do so by others, I will be putting my name forward to be the next Presiding Officer.”

The former Welsh Conservative leader said he believed his record in the Senedd qualified him for the role.

“I have the experience to champion the Welsh Parliament and have a clear understanding of its Standing Orders and procedures,” he said. “As the Temporary Presiding Officer in the previous Senedd, and as a former Committee Chair and Business Manager in the Welsh Parliament, I have the necessary skills to take on this important role.”

Davies has been a Member of the Senedd since 2007. He served as leader of the Welsh Conservatives from 2018 to 2021 – briefly succeeding Andrew RT Davies in the role before stepping down following an issue over compliance with Covid-19 regulations. Andrew RT Davies later returned as leader.

Paul Davies was elected in Ceredigion Penfro last week as the Welsh Conservatives’ lead candidate in the constituency – one of seven Welsh Tory MSs returned to the new Senedd.

His bid comes alongside reported interest in the Llywydd role from Welsh Labour’s Huw Irranca-Davies, the Deputy First Minister, who was re-elected for Afan Ogwr Rhondda.

A vote on the new Llywydd is expected to take place before the Senedd can move to elect a new First Minister – a process that will see Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth widely expected to be installed in the role at the head of a minority government.

Davies’ announcement comes against the backdrop of disappointment in west Wales Conservative circles after his colleague Sam Kurtz was not returned to the Senedd.

Kurtz – the former Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire MS – had been placed second on the Welsh Conservative list in Ceredigion Penfro behind Davies. That ranking ultimately cost Kurtz his seat, with the Conservatives taking only one of the six available in the constituency.

The decision to place Kurtz second was reportedly controversial within the local party, with supporters in Pembrokeshire arguing he had built a stronger personal following in the county and had been one of the Welsh Conservatives’ most visible campaigners in west Wales.

The situation echoes that of Welsh Labour’s Rob Stewart in neighbouring Gwyr Abertawe. The Swansea Council leader was placed second on the Welsh Labour list behind veteran MS Mike Hedges – and similarly missed out on a Senedd seat as Welsh Labour’s vote collapsed in the city.

The new D’Hondt voting system used for the first time at last week’s election means second-placed candidates are heavily reliant on their party’s overall vote share – and have struggled to be elected where that vote share has dropped sharply.

Calls have been made within Welsh Labour for Hedges to resign mid-term to allow Stewart to take his seat – a suggestion publicly rejected by Stewart himself, who said the democratic vote must be respected and has given Hedges his “full support.”

There is no indication that any similar suggestion has been made regarding Paul Davies and Sam Kurtz in Ceredigion Penfro.

Davies said he was saddened that Kurtz had not been returned to the Senedd, describing him as a hard-working colleague who had given strong service to Pembrokeshire and west Wales.

According to reporting in The Pembrokeshire Herald, Kurtz was tight-lipped about his political future when asked at the count declaration, even suggesting he might return to journalism, his pre-political career.

His loss is being viewed as one of the most significant individual Conservative casualties of the new electoral system – particularly given his profile on rural affairs, farming and tourism.

The Welsh Conservatives ended the 2026 Senedd election with seven seats – significantly down on the 16 they held in the previous Senedd. The party’s leader Darren Millar was re-elected in Clwyd, current leader Andrew RT Davies held his seat in Pen-y-bont Bro Morgannwg, and Paul Davies returned via Ceredigion Penfro.

Other Welsh Tory MSs returned included Janet Finch-Saunders in Bangor Conwy Mon, Peter Fox in Sir Fynwy Torfaen, Natasha Asghar in Casnewydd Islwyn and Sam Rowlands in Fflint Wrecsam.

Plaid Cymru emerged as the largest party in the new Senedd with 43 seats, six short of the 49 needed for an overall majority. Reform UK secured a historic 34 seats, Welsh Labour was reduced to nine, the Wales Green Party took two and the Welsh Liberal Democrats secured a single seat – that of leader Jane Dodds in Brycheiniog Tawe Nedd.

The new Senedd is expected to sit for the first time in the coming weeks, with the election of a new Llywydd among the first orders of business.

Our Senedd Election 2026 coverage

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