Rhodri Williams, chairman of Welsh-language broadcaster S4C, has announced that he will not seek a continuation of his position. He made the decision after launching an investigation into allegations of misconduct and bullying involving senior S4C executives. The external review was commissioned after the BECTU union wrote to S4C voicing concerns about the behavior of some of the broadcaster’s management team. S4C dismissed then Chief Executive Officer Sian Doyle after the investigation.
As the review progressed, S4C Chief Content Officer Llinos Griffin-Williams was similarly accused of breaching conduct, leading to her dismissal. She denies the allegations and is taking legal action. Williams had previously labeled the past year “the toughest year S4C has ever had.” Speaking to S4C’s Newyddion program ahead of the chairman’s decision to step down, Williams said he was happy with how the board had acted on allegations of management misconduct.
However, politicians from both Westminster and the Senedd Committees, who interviewed Williams last week, wrote to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, which has oversight of S4C, to demand a new chairman. Welsh Affairs Committee Chairman Stephen Crabb later criticized Williams’s role, accusing him of “acting as judge, jury, and executioner.” Williams responded, stating that all decisions were taken with the full participation of the board.
The DCMS has urged the broadcaster to address “serious issues of culture, management, and policies,” and will launch the process to replace Williams as chairman. The outgoing executive said that processes governing such behavior were already set out in the dismissed executives’ contracts and employment law, and he maintained that the board had acted appropriately. S4C stated it would update the DCMS and the secretary of state regarding details of the chairman’s replacement as soon as possible.
The independent investigation report published last year described a “culture of fear” at the broadcaster. Doyle has since stated that she does not accept the report’s contents. Griffin-Williams maintains her innocence of any wrongdoing and is proceeding with legal action. The Welsh-language TV channel is facing a series of scandals involving the behavior of its senior executives, and an independent review subsequently demanded that S4C provide detailed plans to tackle the range of issues being raised
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