Accentuate Party Game
£22.99The demand for the devolution of control over the Crown Estate to be handed to Welsh ministers has been dismissed by the UK Labour government. This estate, which is owned by the monarch and contributes to funding the Royal Family, comprises over £603m worth of land in Wales, including the majority of the seabed around the coastline. According to Treasury minister James Murray, transferring ownership to the Welsh government would not be financially logical.
Plaid Cymru, alongside the Welsh government, advocates for the devolution of the Crown Estate to Wales to allocate funds generated from projects like windfarms exclusively in Wales. The contradicting stance of the UK government is deemed contrary to Welsh Labour government policy. Presently, revenues from the estate are directed to Whitehall’s Treasury and subsequently distributed across the UK. In Scotland, the Crown Estate is under the control of the Scottish government.
Plaid Cymru MP Llinos Medi emphasized in the House of Commons that Welsh residents should own and benefit from their natural resources. She highlighted the historical exploitation of Welsh resources for the gain of others, leaving communities impoverished. Medi questioned why the people of Wales are denied the benefits of their own resources, unlike the Scottish population, who profit from their water, wind, and sea resources.
Despite the arguments made, Treasury minister Murray emphasized that it would not make practical sense to devolve the Crown Estate to Wales. The Welsh Liberal Democrats have also called for this devolution, suggesting that it could bolster the Welsh Government’s budget by an additional £50 million. Labour’s First Minister Eluned Morgan acknowledged internal divisions within the Labour party concerning this issue. Post-debate, Llinos Medi expressed disappointment in Welsh Labour MPs for failing to advocate for Welsh interests and criticized the lost opportunity for meaningful change and investment in Welsh communities
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