Heledd Fychan, the member of the Senedd (MS) for Pontypridd Cynon Merthyr, has been appointed as Plaid Cymru’s first cabinet minister for culture after the party’s historic election win in Wales last week.
Plaid Cymru became the largest party in the Senedd following the 7 May elections, winning 43 seats and toppling the nation’s Labour-led government after 27 years in power. Reform UK is now the second largest party in Wales, with 34 seats.
Before moving into politics full-time in 2021, Fychan was the head of policy and public affairs at Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales. She was a board member of the Museums Association (MA) and served on the association’s Ethics and Nations Committees.
Fychan was elected the MS for South Wales Central in 2021 and since then has been an outspoken critic of the previous government’s arts, culture and heritage policies.
She told BBC Wales this week that the arts, culture and heritage sectors were “clearly a priority” for the new first minister, Rhun ap Iorwerth.
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“We can't promise huge investment overnight, but I will clearly put together a plan where we can see that increased investment year-on-year,” Fychan told Radio Wales Breakfast.
The MA’s director Sharon Heal welcomed Fychan’s appointment.
Heal said: “We congratulate Heledd Fychan MS for being appointed as the new Cabinet Minister for Culture and Sport. We are delighted that, as a former museum professional and MA board member, she already has a strong understanding of museums and the transformational power they have.
“We look forward to working with her to address the challenges facing our sector and to raise the profile of how museums are working with their communities on important priorities such as environmental sustainability, health and wellbeing, and social justice.”
Plaid Cymru’s 2026 manifesto says the party will seek “a new vision and strong leadership for Welsh culture, sport and language”.
The party has pledged to “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”.
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It says it will 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 says it 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”.
The party wants 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 has also promised to “support workforce development in the creative industries as part of a wider national skills strategy”, with a focus on inclusion and diversity.