Reform pledges to ‘end political indoctrination in heritage’ in Wales

Museums can often be overlooked in the noise of a general election campaign, but with Senedd polls just around the corner, all of the main parties in Wales have put forward policies relevant to the sector this year.

There will be 96 seats up for grabs in the Welsh parliament next month, an expansion from 60 in previous elections, and a party or coalition will need command a majority of 49 seats to form a government.

Coming next week: our round-up of the Scottish party manifestos

Here’s what the 2026 political manifestos have to say about museums, heritage and culture.

Reform UK

Slogan: "Family, Community, Country"

Some polls suggest that Reform UK could be the largest party in Wales after the 7 May elections. The party makes several pledges related to museums and heritage in its Welsh manifesto.

Reform promises to “end political indoctrination in heritage”, adding that “heritage institutions exist to inform the public, not to advance contemporary political positions” and “interpretation should be balanced, educational, and grounded in evidence”.

The party also says it will “review funding for government-supported cultural bodies to ensure it is fair, transparent, and politically neutral”.

“It’s common sense that taxpayer-funded organisations must serve the whole public and command confidence across communities and political traditions,” the manifesto states.

The party says it will “restore evidence-led history”, ensuring that publicly funded museums, heritage bodies, and interpretation sites “present history chronologically and in context, with clarity about cause and consequence”.

Other pledges commit to “ring-[fencing] Welsh cultural spending” and making sure “museums and cultural institutions are fit for the future”.

The manifesto says: “Wales’s museums and cultural institutions must preserve the past while engaging new audiences. Reform will support modernisation, wider access, and financial sustainability, ensuring that publicly funded institutions reflect the full breadth of Welsh history and culture rather than narrow or exclusionary narratives.”

Plaid Cymru

Slogan: "New Leadership for Wales"

The nationalist party, which is currently neck-and-neck with Reform UK in the polls, puts a strong emphasis on how the culture and heritage sectors can support the Welsh language in its manifesto, while also spotlighting the role culture can play in supporting health and wellbeing.

The party, which supported some of the Welsh Labour government’s policies under a co-operation agreement in the previous term, says it will seek “a new vision and strong leadership for Welsh culture, sport and language”. It pledges to create “new cultural strategy for a healthier, wealthier and more resilient Wales, and a new level of investment in art, culture and sport”.

“We will ensure this strategy is properly funded, increasing the budget for culture, heritage, arts and sport year-on-year over the next Senedd term, and tying this to a wider shift towards preventative spending that recognises the central role of culture and sport in promoting good health and keeping people well,” says the manifesto.

The party will “support the continued development of the National Contemporary Art Gallery for Wales and progress plans for an ‘anchor home’ that strengthens Wales’s capacity to host major exhibitions and partnerships”.

It will also “examine options for making cultural provision a statutory requirement for public bodies, including local authorities, health boards and national parks, through a new Culture Act, ensuring that culture is embedded at the heart of public life in Wales.”

The party promises to widen access to culture, including a pledge to maintain universal free entry at national museums and expand free access across all Cadw heritage sites.

Plaid Cymru will also “support workforce development in the creative industries as part of a wider national skills strategy”, with a focus on inclusion and diversity.

Welsh Labour

Slogan: "Fairness you can feel"

After 27 years in power, Welsh Labour’s dominance is looking shaky, with the current polls pointing to historic losses for the party.

The incumbent government has been criticised for its sometimes-patchy support for culture, but there are several pledges in its 2026 manifesto related to museums, heritage and the arts.

The party says it will “continue to boost support for arts, culture and creative organisations by investing in the Priorities for Culture”.

It also promises to “fund continued free access to Amgueddfa Cymru sites and explore new ways to widen access to cultural resources and experiences for everyone”, as well as “[safeguarding] the future of nationally and regionally significant cultural venues like Venue Cymru and the National Museum of Wales, with capital investment”.

The party has committed to supporting a programme of events across Wales in 2027 to celebrate the centenary of the National Museum of Wales, as well as developing a new Tourism Strategy for the nation. The party will also establish heritage skills apprenticeships to “sustain the specialist skills needed to protect our cultural assets”, as well as backing Wrexham’s bid for UK City of Culture 2029.

The party also points to its ongoing support for the development of Wrexham Museum, including a Football Museum for Wales, and the successful bid to make the slate landscape of North West Wales a Unesco World Heritage Site.

Welsh Conservatives

Slogan: "Get Wales Working"

Currently Wales’s second-largest party, the Welsh Conservatives’ manifesto mainly mentions culture and heritage in relation to tourism, pledging to cut taxes and red tape to boost the industry.

The party slams the “anti-tourism rhetoric and policies of Labour and Plaid Cymru”, saying these have “undermined the efforts of tourism operators and deterred people from visiting Wales”.

The Welsh Conservatives say they want to “restore Wales’ reputation for a welcome in the hillsides and vales, and to help people to discover the riches of our landscapes, history and heritage”.

“By cutting taxes and red tape, we will enable tourism businesses to thrive and better showcase Wales  to the world,” the manifesto states.

This includes scrapping Labour and Plaid Cymru’s Tourism Tax in favour of developing a growth strategy for tourism.

The party says it will support the creation of “new national visitor attractions”, including a National Military Museum for Wales and a Welsh Sports Hall of Fame, as well as developing action plans to promote tourism “related to Welsh religious heritage, film and TV locations and genealogy”.

The Welsh Conservatives will also invest in a global marketing campaign to “promote Wales as a visitor destination” and support Wrexham’s bid to be the UK’s City of Culture in 2029.

A Seaside Towns Fund and a Market Towns Fund will be established to “support regeneration and improve the appearance” of coastal resorts and other towns relying on tourism.

Welsh Liberal Democrats

Slogan: "A Stronger Wales in a Stronger UK"

The Welsh Liberal Democrats’ manifesto says “everyone should have the opportunity to experience, participate in and contribute to our shared cultural life”.

The party says it will “support the growth of the Welsh language through encouragement and opportunity” and “invest in our creative industries and local cultural spaces”.

“By celebrating our heritage and investing in our future, we can build a more confident, connected and thriving Wales,” the manifesto says.

This support includes the introduction of cultural transport subsidies to “enable free travel for schools in rural and deprived areas, ensuring that access to museums and cultural experiences is truly open to all”.

The party also wants to forge stronger cultural and educational partnerships with EU countries, including in the arts and creative sectors.

Welsh Green Party

Slogan: "Making Hope Normal Again"

The party’s slogan might echo Donald Trump’s MAGA movement, but the Greens’ cultural policies couldn't be more different from those of the US president.

The Welsh Greens envision “a Wales where culture is alive, evolving and shaped by everyone who calls it home”, and where “newcomers are welcomed into the country’s cultural and linguistic communities”.

The Greens say they will “remove barriers so everyone can participate in and shape Wales’s cultural future”.

The party promises a national commitment to cultural wellbeing, which it says is “too often undervalued in public policy”.

“Across Wales we have seen cultural spaces close, heritage assets neglected and opportunities for participation decline. This trend must be reversed,” says the manifesto.

The party’s vision includes two key policies: a Culture Bill establishing statutory duties on public bodies, and a Cultural Rights Framework guaranteeing participation in cultural life.

“Together these measures will ensure that culture is recognised as essential infrastructure for healthy communities,” says the party.

The Culture Bill will guarantee every community access to cultural spaces, services and opportunities, as well as placing “clear duties on public bodies, particularly local authorities, to protect and sustain cultural life”.

Local authorities will be required to ensure access to free, warm and welcoming community cultural spaces, while national minimum standards will be set for libraries, museums and archives, “ensuring every region maintains core cultural services”.

The party will establish a Community Right to Buy, allowing local people to protect and acquire buildings such as chapels, libraries and heritage spaces.

Culture and heritage will become central to planning and regeneration, says the party, and all local development plans will embed culture, placemaking and the historic environment.

Public bodies will include cultural wellbeing within their wellbeing objectives, and will also “have a duty to protect archaeological sites, industrial heritage, working-class heritage and culturally significant landscapes, particularly those threatened by climate change”.

“Communities will be supported to protect and manage green spaces and heritage sites, recognising their importance for cultural life and wellbeing,” says the manifesto.

The party proposes to support the Welsh language via the Culture Bill, requiring public bodies to actively increase the use of Welsh in workplaces and services.

The manifesto also pledges to strengthen leadership in cultural policy by creating a dedicated cabinet secretary for arts, culture and language.

“Public bodies will report annually on cultural wellbeing outcomes, ensuring accountability and transparency. Local cultural plans will be developed through co-production with communities, giving people a genuine voice in shaping the cultural life of their areas,” adds the manifesto.