A LABOUR councillor has complained a plan she wanted to put forward to boost funding for Wales wasn’t supported until proposed by an independent. 

Councillor Rachel Garrick, who resigned from Monmouthshire County Council’s cabinet in January, said she was “disappointed” the authority’s ruling Labour group hadn’t supported her proposal for the devolution of the Crown Estate to Wales. 

It did, at its October meeting, however agree to do when proposed by independent councillor Meirion Howells.

Cllr Garrick said she was a “supporter of an independent Cymru” but said: “When residents asked me to table a similar motion earlier this year my group did not feel ready to support me at that time.” 

The Caldicot councillor said it was already the stated position of the Welsh Labour Party and Welsh Government that it should receive the landowning body’s profits in Wales.

The council’s Labour leadership didn’t directly address Cllr Garrick’s comments but leader Mary Ann Brocklesby, who said she also supported the policy, did say the “time is right” for the council to join in the lobbying effort “as there is a Labour UK Government that will listen to us”. 

Council deputy leader Paul Griffiths, who previously worked as an advisor to first minister Rhodri Morgan when Labour’s Tony Blair was prime minister, said supporting devolution of the Crown Estate would give “more power to the elbow of the Welsh Government as it negotiates its relationship with UK Labour”. 

Cllr Griffiths said there is a “tension in all political parties” between those who wish to centralise power and the council would be supporting those who want to decentralise. 

Labour Chepstow member Armand Watts said devolving the asset was a “no brainer” and addressing Cllr Garrick said: “It’s disappointing Rachel you have to wait for an independent member to put this forward, but that’s politics right? I’m sure you’ll get over it.” 

Cllr Howells sits in a Green Independent group with Cllr Ian Chandler, who has formed a coalition with Labour. Together Labour and the Green Independent group hold 23 votes with the 19 member Conservative group and four independents having an equal number following a by-election which saw the Conservatives win a seat from Labour. 

The Conservatives didn’t vote on the Crown Estate motion having left the October 24 meeting before it was discussed after complaining Cllr Howells had table it to prevent councillors from campaigning in the by-election held the same day.