Blaenau Gwent councillors set to support campaign to devolve Crown Estate

Elgan Hearn Local Democracy Reporter

Labour councillors in Blaenau Gwent could be putting their weight behind the campaign to devolve management of the Crown Estate and its assets in Wales to the Welsh Government.

A motion asking for this to be done will be put in front of Blaenau Gwent councillors at a meeting of the county borough council on Thursday, March 27.

It is expected that the motion which will be presented to council by its leader, Cllr Steve Thomas.

He will ask that: this council supports the campaign to devolve management of the Crown Estate and its assets in Wales to the Welsh Government and that funds raised be shared equitably between Welsh local authorities to support the needs of our communities.”

Motion

The motion has been signed by deputy council leader Cllr Helen Cunningham, cabinet member for education, Cllr Sue Edmunds, chairwoman of the Planning committee, Cllr Lisa Winnett, and Cllr Sonia Behr.

Since September last year 17 council’s across Wales have passed motions to devolve the Crown Estate, and these include Blaenau Gwent’s neighbour, Monmouthshire, Caerphilly, and Powys council’s.

The Crown Estate is a collection of property, rights, and interest, owned by the King in “right of the crown.”

While the monarch is the legal owner, it is not the King’s private property and cannot be sold.

Revenues from the estate do not belong to the King, they go to the UK Government Treasury.

In 2023 the Crown Estate had generated £103.6 million for the Scottish government’s coffers and the value of the estate had increased from £568 million to £653 million.

Rejection

Last month in Westminster UK Labour government has rejected Plaid Cymru’s calls for control over the Crown Estate to be given to ministers in Wales.

The Welsh government, along with Plaid Cymru, believe it should be devolved so money raised from windfarms and other projects can be spent exclusively in Wales.

UK government treasury minister James Murray, told MPs that devolving the estates to the Welsh government would make “no commercial sense.”

In Wales, it is estimated that the estate owns 65 per cent of the nation’s foreshore and riverbeds, and more than 50,000 acres of land, 250,000 acres of mineral deposits, any gold and silver.