Caerphilly Council to vote on motion calling for the devolution of Crown Estate

A notice of motion calling for the devolution of the Crown Estates to Wales is to go before a full meeting of Caerphilly County Borough Council.

Plaid Cymru councillor Colin Mann, who represents Llanbradach, is putting forward the motion, which has cross-party support for it with Labour and Independent councillors backing it.

Cllr Mann said there was growing support for the demand that revenue from Wales’ natural resources should be kept in Wales, as happens in Scotland, rather than going to the UK Treasury.

He said:  “The value of the Crown Estate holdings in Wales has risen from £96m in 2020 to over £853m in 2023. Investing the profits from our natural resources into a Sovereign Wealth Fund for public benefit would be an important step towards addressing the needs of the people of Wales.

“This is about fairness and Wales receiving the same treatment as Scotland. Wales should be benefitting from the Crown Estate to help address poverty in Wales.

“Caerphilly Council is under huge financial pressure and historically underfunded and placing the Crown Estate in Welsh hands would be a  significant move in addressing the decades of unfairness and lack of investment in Welsh communities. I hope all members will support this motion.”

The motion, which will be heard on Tuesday January 14, calls for council leader Sean Morgan to write to both the Welsh Government and UK Government and make a public statement calling for the devolution of the Crown Estates.