S4C funding protesters end sit-in at BBC Wales

Language protesters blocked the entrance to the BBC Wales headquarters in Cardiff for several hours

Welsh language protesters have staged a sit-in, blocking the entrance to BBC Wales' headquarters in Cardiff.

Twenty people protested, calling for the corporation to change its mind about taking over the funding of S4C. They left the site before 1500 GMT, after nearly seven hours.

From 2013, the Welsh-language channel will be funded from part of the BBC's licence fee.

BBC Wales said the S4C funding decision was the UK government's.

Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg, the Welsh Language Society, claims that the future of the channel is in a critical situation, with the future of the language itself hanging in the balance.

It has accused the BBC in London of making a "back-of-the-envelope plan without consulting anyone in Wales".

The protest group is calling for the BBC to change its mind about taking over the budget for S4C.

In a statement, the society said: "The joint plan could kill the channel if we don't have the resources to see Welsh-language content on the television and the web.

"We demand that S4C is independent editorially and managerially, with a funding formula in statute to protect the future of this important Welsh-language service."

S4C had considered seeking a judicial review over the UK government's decision to change the channel's funding arrangements but this month confirmed it had abandoned the plan.

A BBC Cymru Wales spokesman said: "The decision to change the funding arrangements for S4C was made by the UK government not the BBC.

Welsh programming

"Discussions are ongoing between the UK government, S4C and the BBC and further details will be provided in due course.

"However, Mark Thompson, Director General of the BBC, Menna Richards, Director BBC Cymru Wales, and Elan Closs Stephens, BBC National Trustee for Wales, gave evidence to the Welsh Affairs Committee in the House of Commons recently and Mark Thompson has also agreed to meet with Cymdeithas yr Iaith within the next few weeks."

The Welsh-language channel's budget is being cut as part of the UK government's Spending Review.

The BBC will take over part-funding of S4C from 2013, with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport reducing its grant by 94% over the next five years.

UK Culture Minister Ed Vaizey has said the UK government is "committed to Welsh programming and committed to S4C".