THE leader of Gwynedd Council has called on the government to safeguard funding for the only Welsh TV channel in the world.

The TV channel S4C, established in 1982 under the Broadcasting Act 1981, has a statutory duty to provide wide-ranging Welsh language entertainment and news services throughout Wales and beyond.

The call from Gwynedd Council leader Dyfed Edwards comes after the spending review announced that the funding S4C receives from the UK government is set to be cut from £6.7m to £5m by 2019.

During a full Gwynedd Council meeting, all members supported calls that funding should be safeguarded for S4C.

Cllr Edwards said: “S4C not only represents a Welsh language public service sharing information, education and entertainment, it also makes a real contribution to the future survival of the Welsh language.

“The channel is an integral part of the Welsh infrastructure, exactly as it was intended back in 1982 when the channel was first established.

“To us here in Gwynedd, where the majority of S4C viewers live, it offers so much more.

“It plays a significant part in our lively creative arts industry which feeds into S4C programming, many though the BBC.

“It is this context that the UK Tory Government needs to understand when making any budget decisions.”

The BBC has a base in Bangor who employs local Welsh-speaking people.

Cllr Edwards added: “There is clear reference in the original Broadcasting Bill that S4C should receive sufficient funding to carry out its role of providing Welsh language TV services throughout Wales and beyond.

“I am not convinced that Ed Vazey, the Tory Minister in charge of broadcasting, is aware of his resp­onsibility in that respect.”

Cllr Mandy Williams-Davies added: “I would like to make it abundantly clear to the Tory government in Westminster, S4C is not just an entertainment channel, it is an industry which offers real people in Gwynedd real quality jobs.

“There is a workforce behind S4C, an industry which works from within Gwynedd and other parts of Wales, giving many young people the opportunity of working here in Wales through the medium of Welsh.

“These are quality skilled jobs feeding into the economy.”

Gwynedd councillors voted unanimously to support Cllr Edw­ards’ call to publicly declare the county’s fierce opposition to any further cuts to S4C funding and correspondence has been sent to the Minister and his department stating these views.