Council backs motion to devolve Crown Estate
Stephen Price
Labour-run Swansea Council has backed a motion to devolve the Crown Estate ‘to support the social needs of the Welsh people’ as a ‘matter of urgency’.
In a notice shared to the council’s website, councillors have confirmed their support for devolution of the Estate, calling for the Leader to write to the Welsh Government.
The motion was proposed by Green Party Councillor, Chris Evans, with cross party support from Labour and the Liberal Democrats.
The notice states: “Notice of Motion from Councillors Chris Evans, Rob Stewart, Mary Jones Andrea Lewis, David Hopkins, Yvonne Jardine, Mike Lewis, Wendy Lewis, Lesley Walton, Nicola Matthews, Elliott King and Robert Francis-Davies.
“We confirm that Swansea Council supports the campaign to devolve management of the Crown Estate and its assets in Wales to the Welsh Government and that the funds raised be used to support the social needs of the Welsh people.
“We ask the Leader to write to the Welsh Government outlining our support to help persuade Westminster to devolve the Crown Estate as a matter urgency.”
Welsh assets
The Crown Estate is a corporation responsible for managing the monarchy’s huge property 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.
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.
U Turn
Nation.Cymru recently revealed that the Welsh Government has had no discussions with the UK Government about devolving the Crown Estate to Wales.
This is despite Labour in Wales consistently claiming it’s a firm commitment of theirs.
The youngest member of the House of Lords, Baroness Carmen Smith, submitted a written question to the Treasury asking for details of any discussions between the administrations in Cardiff Bay and Westminster regarding the issue.
Responding, Labour’s Lord Livermore said: “The UK Government has had no discussions with the Welsh Government on devolving the Crown Estate”.
He added: “The Crown Estate has played a significant role in attracting international investment into Wales to support the UK’s net zero target and will continue to do so through future leasing rounds for offshore wind developments, including floating wind projects in the Celtic Sea.
“They work closely with the Welsh Government and Natural Resources Wales in support of shared priorities, ensuring that these resources are sustainably managed for the long term.
“Introducing a new entity would fragment the market, complicate existing processes, and likely delay further development offshore, undermining investment in Welsh waters.”
The Plaid Cymru peer said the written answer was proof the Welsh Government isn’t “serious” about their claims of seeking the devolution of the Crown Estate to Wales.
Continued calls
Plaid Cymru says Wales’ natural resources should be controlled by Wales for the benefit of the communities of Wales – not Westminster.
The party has long called for an arrangement similar to Scotland which would give Wales a direct say in how the profits from new floating wind farms planned off the Welsh coast would be spent.
A Plaid Cymru spokesperson said: “During the election campaign, we were told that things would be better with two Labour governments on either end of the M4 – but it’s clear that change means nothing as far as Wales is concerned.
“The Labour Government in Wales has previously said that the Crown Estate should be devolved but they have consistently failed to persuade or even raise the matter with their bosses in London.
“This failure, alongside the UK Labour Government’s refusal to give Wales power over our natural resources, means profits from investments made by GB Energy and Trydan Gwyrdd Cymru will continue to leave Wales for the Treasury and the Monarch.
“This is cash that must be kept and reinvested here in Wales to address the issues facing our communities and bring down energy bills.”
Powers
Both the previous First Minister Vaughan Gething and Economy Secretary Jeremy Miles said they would back the devolution of the Crown Estate when they were running for the Welsh Labour leadership earlier this year.
Speaking in an interview in February, Mr Gething said: “If I am elected Welsh Labour leader and First Minister, responsibility for the Crown Estate is the most important set of new powers our future Welsh Labour Government would seek for the Senedd.”
Former First Minister Mark Drakeford previously said it could boost the country’s aspirations to become a world leader in renewable energy.
A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “Our Programme for Government and its commitment to devolving the Crown Estate remains unchanged.
“We want to ensure the Crown Estate works for Wales, and officials have held initial discussions with their UK Government counterparts on the constitutional reform agenda.
“These will continue to ensure we maximise the opportunities and benefits for Wales.”
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Da iawn Swansea! Now lets have the other 21 Councils do likewise.
The so-called ‘Crown Estate’ in Wales should belong to the Welsh nation and people.
Since the Crown Estate in Scotland has been separated from that of the UK under the provisions of the 2016 Scotland Act, it seems wholly reasonable that a similar step should be explored in Wales.
A Starmer promise from the Welsh Govt, all words no action. In reality a lie.
Maybe Swansea Council might want to comment on survey that puts Swansea in bottom 10 of worst cities in UK. Based on Economic performance and quality of life as part of the index.
Judging from the headline and the picture of the King, I thought for a split second it was the Privy Council which had done this! What a twist that would have been! I then read the article.
Absolutely appalling that this blatant theft has gone on for so long.
Deft at wealth accumulation and keeping it like Smaug. Maybe it’s time to share it with subjects? No, I thought not. Oh, and they bring in less money from tourism than the Roman baths. Hiroes i Carlo, and William has got Welsh on his Duolingo. He even watches Poblycym.
First off the English have our land by right of CONQUEST which happened a couple of hundred years ago its happening now with the Russian invasion of Ukraine and Israel invasion of West Bank both taken land that do not belong to them U K up in Arms no different to the English invasion we have been occupied for to bloody long
??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? No Pink Elephants you must be on something
Are you saying the King of England DID NOT INVADE THE LAND THAT MADE UP OF WHAT WAS WALES and Welsh soldiers and its Princes did not die in battle against them and we joined with England like Scotland did THERE IS A VILLAGE MISSING A VILLAGE IDIOT YOU
I would suggest you read up on Welsh history when English Kings who sat on throne of England invaded the land which is Wales it happened many times over the eons to many battles to write about there was a saying in a place where i worked YOU CANNOT EDUCATE PORK and it applies to you you must be some ENGLISH TORY because i cannot think of any Welsh man or women did not know will not answer any more of your stupid questions
The last “conquering army” crossed from The Netherlands to England in 1688.led by Willem Hendrik Prinz van Oranje.
Harri Tudur’s “conquering army” did not absorb England into Cymru neither did Willem Hendrik’s army absorb England into the Netherlands.
However England’s conquering armies under various English Kings did absorb Cymru into England centuries before either.
What really needs to happen is for the monarchy to be abolished, by ballot or bullet I don’t care which and I would swear an allegiance to whoever accomplishes its abolition!
While of course Cyngor Abertawe’s decision to support the devolution of the crown estates to Wales is admirable, we know that it will not go further than this for the “Welsh” Labour Party. Contrary to what their name implies they are not autonomous from the UK Labour Party in London, they will follow the orders of their superiors in the end. As we have seen from the Welsh Labour government and Senedd group, principles and putting Wales first come a distance second to party loyalty.
I would think there is an English Tory on here trying to stir the poo his name Morfudd Ap Haul