Plaid Cymru will hold a public rally over Crown Estate

Plaid Cymru will hold a public rally calling for the “end of Wales’ ‘asset stripping’ by Westminster”, amid calls for devolution of the Crown Estate.

Earlier this month, Plaid argued that the Crown Estate should be devolved to Wales in the House of Commons, saying “Welsh communities should benefit from Welsh wealth”.

The rally will take place in Ceredigion – the seventh county in Wales to pass a motion calling for the devolution of the Crown Estate.

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Push for devolution

Wales’ Crown Estate – which includes Welsh beaches, riverbeds and over 50,000 acres of land – is worth over £853 million.

Currently, the profits of the Crown Estate are not retained in Wales, but flow directly to the UK Treasury and to the Royal Family.

Plaid Cymru are calling for the devolution of the Crown Estate to the Welsh Government, suggesting that doing so could result in Wales receiving an additional £50 million annually.

Motion in Ceredigion

On 12 December, a motion calling for the devolution of the Crown Estate to Wales was passed by Ceredigion County Council "to support the social needs of the Welsh people" as a "matter of urgency".

Ceredigion became the seventh county council in Wales to pass a motion calling for the devolution of the Crown Estate within Wales.

Plaid MP for Ceredigion Preseli, Ben Lake, said: “We are all aware of the challenges faced by our communities in rural Wales. Significant investment is desperately needed to support our people and our future.”

He added: “The revenue from the Crown Estate could make a real difference, filling the financial gaps in our budgets and putting more money in the pocket of the working person to help them manage with rising costs.”

Ceredigion councillor Alun Williams said: “Devolving the Crown Estate to Wales is not just a matter of fairer funding; it’s about promoting sustainability, economic regeneration, and addressing our profound social care challenges.”

Elin Jones MS stated: “It is unjust that profits from Wales' natural assets flow to the UK Treasury and the Royal Family, while our communities struggle to make ends meet.

She added: “It's time to bring our wealth home - to Wales and to our people."

Ben Lake MP, Elin Jones MS and Cllr. Alun Williams will all be speaking at the event, making a strong case in favour of the devolution of the Crown Estate to Wales.

The event will take place at 12pm on 1 February, at Glyndŵr Square, Aberystwyth.