They're not independent......they can't join the Single Market or Customs Union for example.
Wales has to get by with allocated money from Westminster and taxes they raise.
And they've lost a lot of money cos of Brexit because the EU funding they were told would be replaced never happened! Same with Cornwall I think! Is that right @Saul?
"Taken together, the £243m loss in rural funding and the £772m shortfall in EU structural funds (table 2) add up to just more than £1bn. Applying the same inflation adjustment to rural funding as to the structural funds, the overall shortfall to the Welsh budget is more than £1.1bn."
https://www.gov.wales/written-statement-loss-funding-wales-result-uk-governments-arrangements-replacement-eu-funding