Plaid Cymru push for Crown Estate to be devolved to Wales

Plaid Cymru’s Energy spokesperson, Llinos Medi MP, will call for the Crown Estate to be devolved to Wales in the House of Commons today (7 January).

She will deliver a speech during the second reading of the Crown Estate Bill calling for an end to the system that she says siphons profits from Wales’s natural resources into the UK Treasury.

The Ynys Môn MP will argue that Crown Estate profits, generated from Welsh land and seabed, should stay in Wales to benefit its people directly.

Renewable energy projects

In 2007, the asset value of the Crown Estate in Wales was £21.1 million. By 2023, this figure had jumped to £853 million, largely driven by the rising demand for renewable energy projects.

Correspondingly, net revenue profit across the Crown Estate rose from £345 million in 2020 to £1.1 billion in 2024.

However, profits generated from Wales’s natural resources are not retained in the Welsh public purse. Instead, they are sent to the Treasury and the Sovereign Grant.

This contrasts sharply with Scotland, where the Crown Estate is devolved, and profits from Scottish natural resources are transferred to the Scottish Government. In 2024 alone, this amounted to a record £108.3 million reinvested into Scotland.

The situation is exacerbated by the fact that Welsh councils must pay lease fees to use Crown Estate land. In 2023, this amounted to nearly £300,000.

Amendment

Plaid Cymru will also be tabling an amendment to the Crown Estate Bill to transfer management of the estate to Wales.

Prior to the debate, Ms Medi said: “Every time Wales generates green energy, the profits leave our communities and go straight to London. This is our wealth. Our resources. They should benefit our communities.

“This system is costing Welsh communities millions. In the age of coal, our wealth was extracted to build fortunes elsewhere. Now, in the renewable age, history is repeating itself. We must not let this happen.

“Devolving the Crown Estate isn’t just about money; it’s about empowering Wales to invest in its own future. Imagine what we could achieve by following Scotland’s model of directly investing profits into poorer coastal communities.

“The Bill, however, makes no mention of devolving the Estate to Wales – but it does give new investment and borrowing powers to the Crown Estate. It is perverse that the Crown Estate may have much stronger financial powers than Wales’s national Government.

“To add insult to injury, Welsh councils must pay lease fees to use Crown Estate land. In 2023, this amounted to nearly £300,000. With huge pressures on councils’ budgets, how can this be justified?

“We’re urging the UK Government to listen, not only to Plaid Cymru, but to Labour’s own Welsh Government colleagues.

“This is about giving Wales the tools to create a stronger, fairer economy. The money belongs to Wales. It’s time to bring it home.”