Introduce a Basic Income for the Arts scheme in Wales, modelled on Ireland’s successful initiative.
Completed
472 signatures
- More than 250 signatures: considered by the Petitions CommitteeReached
- More than 10,000 signatures: considered for a debate in the SeneddNot reached
Ireland has launched a landmark Basic Income for the Arts pilot providing €325 per week to 2,000 artists and cultural workers. The scheme has reduced financial anxiety, increased creative productivity, and strengthened Ireland’s cultural economy. Wales can lead the UK by introducing a similar initiative. We urge the Welsh Government to:
• Commission a feasibility study to explore a Welsh version of Ireland’s programme. • Design a 3-year pilot offering a regular basic income to at least 1,000 Welsh creatives. • Fund and evaluate the pilot through Creative Wales, in collaboration with the Arts Council of Wales and the Welsh Government’s Basic Income Evaluation Team.
More details
This initiative would build upon Wales’s successful Basic Income Pilot for Care Leavers (2022–2024) and align with the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, which commits the government to sustainable cultural and economic wellbeing.
Supporting artists is not charity — it’s infrastructure. A secure creative class drives innovation, tourism, wellbeing, and national identity.
Signatures by constituency
The Senedd's petitions website lists 446 of the 472 signatures under a Senedd constituency.
| Constituency | Signatures |
|---|---|
| Caerdydd Penarth | 73 |
| Ceredigion Penfro | 59 |
| Caerdydd Ffynnon Taf | 51 |
| Gŵyr Abertawe | 34 |
| Gwynedd Maldwyn | 33 |
| Afan Ogwr Rhondda | 23 |
| Sir Gaerfyrddin |