The newly-devolved Scottish Crown Estate – which governs thousands of acres of sea-bed and issues licences for offshore renewable wind-energy projects – comes into operation under Scottish management on 1 April 2017 (no joke).
The Scottish Crown Estate is being established as a public corporation and the Scot-Govt is working to ensure that it provides stability and continuity of service to those who rely on existing leases or services as the management responsibilities are devolved to Scotland.
The value of Scottish Crown Estate property in was valued at £271.8 million – with annual revenue of £14 million in 2015-16.
Amanda Bryan, Shadow Chairing Member of the Scottish Crown Estate, said: “From April, decisions about both the day to day management and the future of the estate will be taken in Scotland – which is a huge step forward.
“I along with the staff of the new interim management body will seek to manage the estate responsibly, delivering benefits to our partners, tenants and communities and ensuring that it remains in good order for the next phase <of home rule>.”
The Scot-Govt. is taking a phased approach to devolution of the Crown Estate. A consultation launched today will inform the second phase of devolution.
The consultation will run until 29 March 2017: for more information:
https://consult.scotland.gov.uk/crown-estate-strategy-unit/long-term-management-of-the-crown-estate
Meanwhile, the consultation on the new Scottish Independence draft Referendum Bill closes on Wednesday, 11 January 2017.
The draft Bill gives the Scotland the ability to reconsider the question of Scotland’s Independence before Britain quits the EU-bloc.
It proposes that any referendum would be run in a way similar to the 2014 Scottish Independence Referendum, with adjustments reflecting recent changes in elections law and procedures such as individual electoral registration.
For more information:
The British Government has published a new ‘Home Rule’ toolkit to help London-based civil servants keep in touch with the Scottish Government and the regional assemblies in Wales and N. Ireland.
It also provides information on what policy areas are, or are not, devolved from the Westminster parliament.
It also requires Govt departments in the capitals in the United Kingdom to let each other know as soon as possible if, and/or when policies will have any impact on other administrations – the lack of which by former British Energy Minister Amber Rudd over her bonfire of the subsidies to onshore wind farms was heavily criticised by the SNP-led Westminster parliament’s Committee on Scottish Affairs in its latest report on the renewable energy sector in Scotland.
Pixie Energy is an incubator and a facilitator of strategic research and project work, focusing on energy regulation, policy and markets at the local and national level. Find out more about Pixie Energy