The Crown Estate owns 65% of Wales' riverbeds and beaches, as well as more than 50,000 acres of land – valued at over £603m. Proceeds from these go to the Crown Estate, funding the Royal Family and contributing to the UK Treasury.
The Crown Estate has recently reported an unprecedented profit, with a £658.1 million increase from last year – bringing the total net profit to £1.1 billion.
In 2023, the section of the Crown Estate devolved to the Scottish Government generated £103.6 million into the public coffers in Scotland.
A recent YouGov poll found that 58% of respondents supported devolving the Crown Estate to Wales.
As a result, Ceredigion County Council declares that we believe that the responsibility for the Crown Estate should be devolved to the Welsh Government. Any profits generated by the Crown Estate on Welsh land, foreshores and riverbeds should remain in Wales, benefiting our residents and communities.
Responsibility for the Crown Estate is already devolved to the Scottish Government, and the same must happen in Wales to ensure that profits from our natural resources are invested for the benefit of the Welsh people.
The Council notes the serious financial pressures facing this Authority, as with other authorities across Wales, and highlights that devolution of the Crown Estate could bring an estimated £50m a year to Wales.
We therefore call for the Crown Estate to be devolved to the Welsh Government, in line with Scotland, so that WE in Wales - and, in turn, those of us in Ceredigion - can benefit from our natural resources.
We call on the First Minister of Wales to put pressure on the UK Prime Minister to devolve the Crown Estate to Wales as a matter of urgency.
We call on the UK
Prime Minister to take immediate action to devolve the Crown Estate to Wales.
Proposer: Catrin M S Davies
Seconder: Alun Williams
Minutes:
Proposer: Councillor Catrin M S Davies
Seconder: Councillor Alun Williams
The Crown Estate owns 65% of Wales'
riverbeds and beaches and more than 50,000 of land - worth over £603m. Proceeds
from these go to the Crown Estate - to fund the Royal Family and to the UK
Treasury.
The Crown Estate has made an unprecedented profit
published at £658.1 million more than last year – totalling a net profit of
£1.1 billion.
In 2023 the section of the Crown Estate devolved to the
Scottish Government generated £103.6 million into the public coffers in
Scotland'.
In a recent YouGov poll, 58% of those polled said they
supported devolving the Crown Estate to Wales.
As a result of this Ceredigion County Council declares
that we believe that the responsibility for the Crown Estate should be devolved
to the Welsh Government. Any profits generated by the Crown Estate, here on
Welsh land, sea-sides and riverbeds, should remain in
Wales, for the benefit of our residents and communities.
Responsibility for the Crown Estate is already devolved
to the Scottish Government and the same must happen in Wales so that the
profits from our natural resources are invested for the wellbeing of the Welsh
people.
The Council notes that there are serious financial
pressures upon this Authority as with other authorities throughout Wales and it
is estimated that Wales may benefit by around £5om a year from the devolution
of the Crown Estate.
We therefore ask that the Crown Estate is devolved to the
Welsh Government, in line with Scotland so that WE in Wales, and in turn - us
in Ceredigion - who benefit from our natural resources.
We ask the First Minister of Wales puts pressure on the
UK Prime Minister to devolve the Crown Estate to Wales and to do so urgently.
We ask the UK Prime Minister pursues the devolution of
the Crown Estate to Wales promptly.
Councillor Catrin M S Davies gave an outline of the above Notice of Motion, noting the need for a fairer system for Wales and Ceredigion. Councillor Alun Williams noted the fundamental unfairness in terms of how Wales is funded including the Barnett formula, the funding for Wales from the HS2 project and the Crown Estate. He noted that if approved, Ceredigion County Council would be the seventh Council in Wales to support this motion. He noted that this was particularly relevant to Ceredigion with coastlines and sea beds out to 12 nautical miles included within the Crown Estate, with Ceredigion having 60 miles of coast. He also referred to the challenging budget allocation especially for rural authorities, and the profits generated by Scotland where the Crown Estate had been devolved in 2017.
Members asked whether the Crown Estate had contributed towards the cost of the coastal defence schemes in Ceredigion, and it was confirmed that it had not. Members also asked whether the cost of maintaining these assets would supersede the benefits and income generated. Councillor Catrin M S Davies noted that assets such as the rivers and coastlines are currently maintained by Natural Resources Wales.
Following a vote, Members RESOLVED to agree the motion as presented.