COUNCILLORS in Rhondda Cynon Taf and Merthyr Tydfil have backed calls for the Crown Estate to be devolved to Wales.
Notices of motion were approved at full council meetings of both authorities on Wednesday, March 5.
In RCT, the agreed notice of motion read that the council believed that Wales should be treated fairly and that any profits generated by the Crown Estate, here on Welsh lands and waters, should remain in Wales, for the benefit of our residents and communities.
It also said that responsibility for the Crown Estate assets and revenue in Wales should be devolved to the Welsh Government and that the Welsh Government should accept management of the Crown Estate in Wales for the benefit of the people of Wales.
It said: “Across Wales there is a growing campaign calling for management of the Crown Estate and its assets in Wales to be devolved to the Welsh Government.
“The campaign argues that Wales should benefit directly from the profits of renewable energy, and that this money could be used to address the poverty and inequality in communities across Wales.”
It added: “Wales should be afforded the same opportunities as Scotland, particularly at a time when the Crown Estate is announcing record net profits, and economic inequality continues in Wales.
“All local authorities across Wales are under huge financial pressures and placing the Crown Estate in the hands of Wales would be a significant step to address the years of lack of investment in our local government.
The council requested that the leader wrote to the Welsh Government outlining its support to the campaign and asked that Welsh Government continued to present the case for devolution of these responsibilities to Wales and that the leader wrote to the UK Prime Minister supporting the Welsh Government’s calls to devolve the assets and revenue of the Crown Estates in Wales to the Welsh Government as a matter of urgency.
In Merthyr Tydfil, the agreed notice of motion asked that the council supported the campaign to transfer the management and the assets of the Crown Estate in Wales to the Welsh people.
It said profit from the Crown Estate should be directed into a Welsh sovereign wealth fund and used to benefit and support the needs of the communities of Wales.
It requested that Merthyr Tydfil stand with the Welsh councils that had announced that they supported the campaign of placing the management of the Crown Estate and its assets in the hands of the Welsh Government.
It also asked that the leader of the council write to both the Welsh and UK Governments and make a public statement outlining the council’s support to persuade Westminster to devolve the Crown Estate as a matter of urgency.
It said: “Investing the profits from our natural resources into a sovereign wealth fund for public benefit is widely perceived as an important step towards addressing the needs of the people of Wales.
“Wales owning and benefitting from the Crown Estate is seen as a way of addressing poverty in Welsh communities and as a way of building agency and resilience.
“Our local authority, as others, are under huge financial pressure and historically under-funded, and placing the Crown Estate in Welsh hands is one significant step in addressing the decades of unfairness and lack of investment in Welsh communities.
“The nation of Wales should be in total control of its own assets so that they profit and benefit our communities and country, as was done for Scotland in 2017, to transfer the Crown Estate to Wales.”
It is estimated that the estate owns 65% of Wales’ foreshore and riverbeds, and more than 50,000 acres of land.
The value of Crown Estate holdings in Wales was over £853m in 2023.
A poll taken in spring 2023 showed that 75% of Welsh voters were in favour of Wales taking control of the management and assets of the Welsh Crown Estate.
In the 2023-24 financial year, the estate announced a record £1.1 billion net revenue profit.
