Clean sweep as 22nd Welsh council backs devolution of Crown Estate assets

Twm Owen, local democracy reporter

A Gwent council has become the last of Wales’ 22 local authorities to back a call for control of the Crown Estates land and seabed assets to be devolved to Wales.

The Crown Estate controls vast areas of Welsh land and sea, including 65 per cent of the foreshore and riverbed and over 50,000 acres of land, and returns profits to the UK Treasury.

A campaign, pushed by Welsh independence campaign group Yes Cymru, has called for control of the estate to be devolved to Wales, as it has in Scotland, and since September last year 21 councils have backed calls for responsibility to be handed to the Welsh Government.

Councillors in Labour controlled Torfaen have now joined the chorus but also said they want to “understand more fully the implications of devolution of the Crown Estate” on the Welsh block grant, the funding settlement the Welsh Government receives from Westminster.

Block grant

The motion that called for council leader Anthony Hunt to write to the UK and Welsh Government’s setting out its in principle support for devolution of the estate noted the Scottish Government’s block grant was “reduced accordingly” after it gained control over the assets in 2016.

Reform UK councillor Alan Slade said he was concerned Wales, and Welsh local government, wouldn’t benefit financially in the way the motion intends.

The Llantarnam member asked: “What is the advantage of this then? If the Scottish block grant is reduced it is robbing Peter to pay Paul.”

Cllr Hunt described the question as “valid” and said “the advantage I guess would be if it increases it would be of benefit to Wales.”

The Labour councillor also said he supported the principle, highlighted in the motion, of “subsidiarity” – a word he said he couldn’t pronounce properly – but means “power should be centralised as close as possible”.

But he warned the estate, which the motion said the holdings of which in Wales had risen in value from £96m in 2020 to more than £853m in 2023, isn’t a cure all for public finances.

‘Right thing to do’

Cllr Hunt said: “I have seen this described elsewhere as the solution to the ills of all public service finances but being realistic it is unlikely to have a huge net benefit but I still think it’s the right thing to do generally.”

Reform UK’s Jason O’Connell asked if “anything would change” by the council agreeing the motion and Cllr Hunt it will require him to write to the Welsh and UK governments but added: “I can’t promise they will necessarily listen to me.”

The motion, which was put forward by Labour councillor Jayne Watkins, was passed unanimously.

Reacting to the vote, YesCymru Director Rob Hughes said: “With unanimous support across all local authorities and the Senedd, the message from Wales is loud and clear. We call once again on the UK Government to do the right thing and transfer control of the Crown Estate to Wales.”

Labour-led Monmouthshire was the first Gwent council to back devolution of the Crown Estate, in September 2024, which is also the position of the Welsh Labour government while Labour run Caerphilly, Newport and Blaenau Gwent have all agreed their support during 2025.