Ceredigion becomes latest local authority to vote for devolution of Crown Estate to Wales

Plaid Cymru-led Ceredigion County Council has become the latest Welsh local authority to support a motion calling for the devolution of the Crown Estate to Wales.

The motion, proposed by Plaid councillor Catrin M S Davies, was passed unopposed and called on the leader of the council to press the First Minister of Wales to demand immediate action from the UK Prime Minister to transfer control of the Crown Estate.

In recent weeks seven Welsh council’s, Ceredigion, Powys, Carmarthenshire, Gwynedd, Monmouthshire, Denbighshire and Swansea, have supported similar motions calling for the Crown Estate to be managed by the Welsh Government.

Property and land interests

The Crown Estate is a corporation responsible for managing the monarchy’s huge property and land interests – the profits of which go to the UK Treasury.

It has a £16bn portfolio of land and seabed across Wales, England and Northern Ireland, and recently posted a record £1.1bn in profits, which surged by more than £658 million during the year ending March 31.

Currently, 12% of those profits are passed on to the royal family through the Sovereign grant. This means that the royal family’s revenue will jump from £86.3 million in 2024/2025 to £132 million in 2025/2026.

The Crown Estate has substantial assets in Wales, including 65% of the Welsh foreshore and riverbed and more than 50,000 acres of land.

Offshore windfarms

In recent years, its income from assets in Wales has increased substantially because of the growth of offshore windfarms, which pay the Crown Estate to lease the sea bed.

Between 2020 and 2023 the value of its holdings in Wales increased from £96m to over £853m.

In 2024, the section of the Crown Estate already devolved to the Scottish Government generated an estimated £108.3 million into the public coffers in Scotland.

A recent YouGov poll found that 58% of respondents supported devolving the Crown Estate to Wales. Ceredigion became the seventh county council in Wales to pass a motion calling for the devolution of the Crown Estate within Wales.

Ms Davies said: “The figures speak for themselves. Wales could receive an estimated £50 million annually through the devolution of the Crown Estate. Considering the extreme financial challenges and tight budgets faced by councils, which in turn intensify hardships for residents, devolving the Crown Estate is a no brainer.

“Wales’ natural resources should serve the social and economic needs of Welsh people. Devolving the Crown Estate is an urgent step toward ensuring that the profits from our land, foreshores, and riverbeds stay in Wales to benefit our communities rather than Westminster.”

‘Unique challenges’

Cllr Alun Williams added: “Devolving the Crown Estate to Wales is not just a matter of fairer funding; it’s about aligning resources with our unique challenges and needs. With 60 miles of coastline, Ceredigion stands to benefit significantly from control over the marine assets of the Crown Estate, promoting sustainability, economic regeneration, and addressing our profound social care challenges.

“Scotland has already taken advantage of devolution by gaining control of the Crown Estate since 2017, allowing its people to directly benefit from their natural resources. It’s now time for Wales to follow suit and ensure that our public sector funding reflects the distinctive needs of our communities.”