David Chadwick MP: Westminster’s refusal to devolve Crown Estate is ‘outrageous’

Tindle News

David Chadwick says the Government’s refusal to devolve control of Crown Estate land in Wales to the Welsh Government is “nothing short of outrageous”. The Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe MP said in the Commons that giving Wales the same control as Scotland over Crown Estate land would be worth millions of pounds to the Welsh economy. Video from parliamentlive.tv

Transcript

00:00I rise today in support of new clause 4 and to express my party's frustration with the

00:10Government's refusal thus far to devolve the Crown Estate to Wales. It is the firm

00:15view of the Liberal Democrats, both here in Westminster and in the Senedd, that this decision

00:20is wrong for Wales and its economy. Under the current system, the profits generated

00:26from Wales' vast natural resources flow directly to the UK Treasury, offering no benefit

00:31to the communities where that wealth is created. The Crown Estate in Wales is set to generate

00:37millions per year annually from offshore wind energy leases in Welsh waters. If this money

00:43were kept within Wales, it could contribute an estimated additional £50 million to the

00:49Welsh Government's budget. At a time when public services in Wales are crumbling, it

00:56is nothing short of outrageous that the Labour Government in Westminster seek to deny Wales

01:01vital sources of income that could help address the crisis in our public services, economy

01:06and infrastructure. The Labour Government's refusal to devolve powers further, further

01:12entrenches the outrageous notion by Labour and the Conservatives that Wales is a lesser

01:17nation than Scotland. While Scotland has controlled its Crown Estate since 2017, Wales,

01:24despite having vast Crown Estate assets within its borders, has been left without these powers.

01:30The benefits of devolution for Scotland have been clear, with the Scottish Crown Estate

01:35generating over £103 million for public finances since 2017. The excuses that we have heard

01:43from the UK Government for failing to put Wales on an equal footing simply do not hold up.

01:49Patronising comments from Ministers that devolving the Crown Estate would not be in Wales'

01:55best interests or is a waste of time are, quite frankly, an insult to the people of Wales.

02:02This Government claim to support growth, but it seems determined to keep Wales from reaching

02:07its full potential. Instead of empowering Welsh communities to harness the benefits

02:12of their own resources, profits continue to flow directly to London. This is not the

02:18vision of growth that will benefit local communities or level up left-behind communities. It is

02:24a continuation of the Conservatives' failed economic model that prioritises centralisation

02:30and investment in the south-east of England over everything else. It would be a great

02:35mistake if those in power in Westminster were to deny Wales the opportunity to build a better

02:40future for our communities, and I hope the Government Benches will change their mind.

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