Carmarthenshire County Council’s Leader has called for reassurances from S4C that the planned move to the county will still go ahead.

Concerns about future funding for the organisation were raised at Council following the announcement that the BBC would have to cover the cost of free licences for people over the age of 75 from 2018.

It is estimated that the move could cost the BBC up to £650million annually and in its endeavour to make savings, the corporation may reduce the level of funding for S4C.

County Council Leader Cllr Emlyn Dole said he expected S4C to face cuts of around 10 per cent of its annual budget.

He has now written to Chair of the S4C Authority Huw Jones to seek reassurance that the future relocation of their headquarters from Cardiff to Carmarthen will not be jeopardised by any efficiency savings.

Cllr Dole said: “I cannot overemphasise how important it is for us as a county that the new headquarters moves to Carmarthen.

“We are confident that the creation of a new purpose-built and iconic building in the town will act as a catalyst for promoting economic development across the region and nationally.

“The move will result in the creation of an estimated 150 jobs and would help the local economy enormously.

“It will also be a major boost for the Welsh language, providing good quality job opportunities for Welsh speakers.

“In the current financial climate, there is concern about these impending funding reductions and the consequential impact on the decision to move S4C to our county.”

He has asked Mr Jones to give a reaffirmation of the intention to relocate to Carmarthen.