A motion will be put to Ceredigion councillors this week, asking them to back calls for the Crown Estate to be devolved to the Welsh Government, which it is claimed could net an extra £50m a year.

A notice of motion before the Ceredigion County Council meeting of 12 December by Cllr Catrin M S Davies, seconded by Cllr Alun Williams says: “The Crown Estate owns 65 per cent of Wales’ riverbeds and beaches, as well as more than 50,000 acres of land – valued at over £603m. Proceeds from these go to the Crown Estate, funding the Royal Family and contributing to the UK Treasury.

“The Crown Estate has recently reported an unprecedented profit, with a £658.1 million increase from last year – bringing the total net profit to £1.1 billion.

“In 2023, the section of the Crown Estate devolved to the Scottish Government generated £103.6 million into the public coffers in Scotland.

“A recent YouGov poll found that 58 per cent of respondents supported devolving the Crown Estate to Wales.”

It calls for Ceredigion County Council to declare that “we believe that the responsibility for the Crown Estate should be devolved to the Welsh Government,” adding: “Any profits generated by the Crown Estate on Welsh land, foreshores and riverbeds should remain in Wales, benefiting our residents and communities.

“Responsibility for the Crown Estate is already devolved to the Scottish Government, and the same must happen in Wales to ensure that profits from our natural resources are invested for the benefit of the Welsh people.

“The council notes the serious financial pressures facing this Authority, as with other authorities across Wales, and highlights that devolution of the Crown Estate could bring an estimated £50m a year to Wales.

“We therefore call for the Crown Estate to be devolved to the Welsh Government, in line with Scotland, so that WE in Wales – and, in turn, those of us in Ceredigion – can benefit from our natural resources.

“We call on the First Minister of Wales to put pressure on the UK Prime Minister to devolve the Crown Estate to Wales as a matter of urgency.

“We call on the UK Prime Minister to take immediate action to devolve the Crown Estate to Wales.”

The notice of motion will be heard at the 12 December meeting.