Councillors throw their weight behind campaign to devolve Crown Estate management to Welsh Government
Elgan Hearn – Local democracy reporter
A campaign to devolve management of the Crown Estate to the Welsh Government has been backed by councillors.
At a Powys County Council meeting on Thursday, December 5 councillors debated a motion by Plaid Cymru group leader Cllr Elwyn Vaughan put forward.
Cllr Vaughan asked that: “We ask the chair of council to write to the Welsh Government outlining our support to help persuade Westminster to devolve the Crown Estate as a matter of urgency.”
He pointed out that the Scottish Government have been managing the Crown Estate there since 2017.
Cllr Vaughan said: “Don’t complain about injustice or lack of funding if you’re not willing to do something about it. it’s about fairness within these isles and ensuring our communities benefit from these resources rather than seeing the wealth seep away.”
Cabinet member for education, Liberal Democrat Cllr Pete Roberts said: “When I saw this motion I thought it’s not one of Elwyn’s (Cllr Vaughan), it lacks clarity and detail, so I did a little digging.
“What we actually have in front of us is a motion that was passed by Monmouthshire council and a very similar one in Gwynedd.
“The reality is this is about Wales, who we are and how we are treated and it’s about delivering our services.”
Equal
He pointed out that following referenda in 1997 powers had been devolved to both Scotland and Wales – but they had not been applied equally.
Cllr Roberts: “Why are we not receiving the benefits of the Crown Estate, why is it going to Westminster, is it a case of England and Wales means England whenever there is money coming out of Wales.
“It’s an important point and we as a country are facing significant financial challenges.
He said that there was a need to actively campaign to “secure the money we deserve.”
Economy
Conservative group leader, Cllr Aled Davies cautioned against the move as he believed that devolving the Crown Estate could see less money come to Wales under the current formula that transfers funding from Westminster to the Welsh Government.
Cllr Davies said: “Be careful what you wish for, the UK is better when it works together to create a strong economy and delivering for people.”
Conservative Cllr Pete Lewington added: “I do find it frustrating that Plaid Cymru continue to waste opportunities to bring forward motions on real life issues that matter to the people of Powys.”
Councillors then moved to a vote which saw 39 councillors vote for, 14 against and four councillors abstained.
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.
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.
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Swansea City Council, Cyngor Gwynedd, Denbighshire County Council, Monmouthshire County Council, Carmarthenshire County Council and now Powys County Council. The momentum is building. I wonder which council will be the next to back this campaign?
I wonder will there be any county that would reject support for devolving the Crown Estate, particularly when Monmouthshire the only county that voted no in the 2011 referendum has now backed it?
Why would this have any impact? I think the effort is a waste of time. The money from the Crown Estates goes to the Treasury which then pays out money to Wales. So, the money goes out of Wales then comes back to Wales. Pointless but the system works. Why get rid of a working system to start a new system to do the same thing at possibly greater cost?
Says the man who falsely denied that Charles receives huge amounts of money from the Crown Estate!
Until the people of Wales educate themselves, get engaged in Welsh politics rather than have their heads in the ground will forever be ignorant. We are losing hundreds of millions annually to the English Monarchy & England , billions of you add the revenue from our water resource usurped by Whitehall & English water companies. Scotland had the devolution of its Crown Estate in 2017 meaning hundreds of millions into its coffers, where Wales on the other hand is continually denied the same right. Ask yourselves this simple question. Why? May I suggest you be proactive rather than inactive. Lead… Read more »
I fully support this initiative. In the meantime why doesn’t Plaid Cymru support the numerous communities across Wales facing desecration by the placing of 250m high turbines within 700m of their homes? And all to benefit multinational venture capitalists. Cofiwch Dryweryn? It seems that recollections fade when the financial incentive is high enough, and the regard for individuals and communities correspondingly low enough. Hen Dro Sàl.