INDEPENDENCE group YesCymru has delivered a letter to Downing Street calling on the UK Government to transfer control of the Crown Estate’s assets and revenues in Wales to the people of Wales after every council voted to support their campaign.
All 22 local authorities in Wales, the Senedd, and an overwhelming 75% of the Welsh public have supported the campaign, with the final council voting unanimously to support the proposal last week.
In the letter, YesCymru set out the case for the transfer, stating that "Westminster’s failure to act is strengthening the case for independence" and driving public support.
Thee group highlighted the significant rise in backing for an independent Wales, from around 5% before the 2014 Scottish referendum to 41% in the most recent poll, conducted in April.
Campaigners are calling for the management of Crown Estate assets in Wales to be devolved to the Welsh Government, and for the profits from these sites to stay in Wales also, instead of going to the UK Treasury.
Crown Estate Scotland manages seabed, coastline, rural estates and other assets, delivering the profits to the Scottish Government for public spending.
The Crown Estate in Wales, valued at over £850 million, generates significant revenue from Welsh land and seabeds.
Director of YesCymru, Rob Hughes, said: "Wales has been overlooked and undervalued for far too long. All we’re asking for is fairness, and when that’s denied, more and more people see independence as the only way forward."
The letter outlines that YesCymru is willing to engage constructively with the UK Government, not only on transferring the Crown Estate but also on preparing the way for a referendum on Welsh independence.
Hughes concluded: "This united support across Wales shows that YesCymru can bring people together behind a clear demand, and that real change is possible when voices across the country speak as one."
