Renewed call for devolution of Crown Estate to Wales ahead of Senedd debate
Plaid Cymru is renewing calls for powers over the management of the Crown Estate and its assets in Wales, ahead of a Senedd debate today (12 July).
The Crown Estate is an independent company which belongs to the monarch for the duration of their reign, though the revenue from its £16bn property portfolio flows directly to the Treasury.
The Sovereign Grant, which is taken from public spending to cover the expenses of the royal household, is determined as a proportion of Crown Estate profits.
This has been set at 25% since 2017/18, which means that the Sovereign Grant paid to the royal family this year will be worth a record £110m, based on the record profits the Crown Estate registered in 2022/23.
Benefit
Delyth Jewell MS, Plaid Cymru’s spokesperson on energy and the environment said: “Wales’ natural resources should be controlled by Wales for the benefit of the communities of Wales, not Westminster.
“This is no more true than with the Crown Estate – a company which holds assets in Wales, valued at more than £600m in 2021, and yet the profits of which go straight to the UK Treasury.
“Profits made from Wales’ natural resources should be kept in Wales to boost our economy, not that of the UK Treasury. It should be as simple as that.
“It’s the case in Scotland, where those powers have been transferred and the revenue from Scottish assets now go straight to the Scottish Government.
“That’s why we’re calling for those powers to be devolved to Wales. With that money, thousands of well-paid green jobs could be created, research into solutions to tackle the climate crisis could be furthered, and opportunities to reap benefits from our own natural resources could be maximised.
“Ultimately, it’s the people of Wales who should be able to direct how best to benefit from that economic opportunity – not Westminster, and this starts with the Senedd voting for Plaid Cymru’s motion to demand power over the Crown Estate.”
Scotland
Plaid Cymru have long called for the management of the Crown Estate to be devolved to Wales, as is the case in Scotland.
The estate’s holdings were devolved to Scotland in 2016, and its revenue now goes to the Scottish Government.
Last month, the Crown Estate announced a record £442.6 million net revenue profit, £129.9 million higher than last year.
The Crown Estate said that this increase primarily reflects option fee income from the signing of Agreements for Lease for six offshore wind farms through the Round 4 leasing programme and revenue resilience in its other lines of business.
A published in May has revealed an overwhelming majority of people are in support of Welsh ownership of the Crown Estate.
The YouGov poll commissioned by YesCymru, asked Welsh residents if they would support or oppose Welsh management of Crown Estate assets in Wales with all income accruing to Wales.
The poll surveyed 1049 people aged 16 and over between April 28 2023 and May 3.
The results showed that over 75% of those polled expressed a preference in favour of full Welsh control of these assets.
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Bet the tories vote against it. That will be a surprise-NOT
We can ask until we are blue in the face and will undoubtedly still be continually rebuffed. The royal family and treasury are making too much money from it. It’s just another example of Cymru being kicked in the nuts and ignored, just like with HS2. We’d be fools to ourselves to continue to let it happen, a disservice to our children and a dishonour to our country. We have to gain independence it’s the only way to settle these issues.
Why did Scotland obtain those powers of ownership of their land and resources ? Because their SNP government demanded the UK government to hand them over OR Scotland will proceed with independence and the UK will lose all. Welsh Labour could have done the same. But, they choose not to. Mark Drakeford and his government are the most powerful part of the Labour party – they are currently the only party that are elected into power by their nation; Yet, he still bails down to Keir Starmer UK leadership who are currently not even in power. Yes, the problem IS… Read more »
Why would anybody vote against it ?
Seeing Scotland in 2016 with the Scotland Act that devolved the Management and Revenues of their Crown Estate. Why then is it only Wales that’s denied its devolution robbing us of billions in revenue that could help so many worthy causes Enough is enough. I suggest the Welsh Labour Government, if it actually has Wales interest at heart, announce a referendum calling for the devolution of the Crown Estate including power over our Criminal & Youth justice systems. better still, make it an independence referenda with multiple choice questions that also includes Devo Max. See, If it’s good enough for… Read more »
I don’t feel we should have to justify why Crown Estates in Wales should be devolved to Wales. They should be devolved because the coasts and land of Wales rightly belongs to Wales!