Guidance

S4/2023 Rent Rebate Subsidy Limitation information for financial year ending March 2024 (Wales only)

Updated 19 December 2023

Applies to England, Scotland and Wales

Who should read

All Housing Benefit (HB) staff

Officers preparing subsidy claims and estimates

Action

For information

Guidance Manual

The information in this circular does not affect the content of the HB Guidance Manual.

Queries

If you want extra copies of this circular/copies of previous circulars, they can be found in the Housing Benefit for local authorities: subsidy circulars collection.

If you have any queries about the:

Introduction

This circular contains details of the Rent Rebate Subsidy Limitation (RRSL) arrangements. Provisions for the financial year ending (FYE) March 2024 arrangements are being made by an Amendment Order to the Income-related Benefits (Subsidy to Authorities) Order 1998. This Order is subject to consultation with the local authority (LA) associations before being laid before Parliament.

RRSL scheme

The RRSL scheme continues in Wales. It does not cover Scotland. And since 1 April 2020, the RRSL scheme in HB Subsidy no longer applies in England, as notified in circular HB S11/2019 Revised.

RRSL scheme draft Limit Rents calculation

The Welsh Government wrote to Welsh LAs on 7 March 2023 to consult on the calculation of draft Limit Rents for FYE March 2024. Local Authorities (LAs) were notified of the final Limit Rents as part of this consultation. The specific amounts (‘O’) and guideline weekly rent increases (‘P’) for determining RRSL are set out in Annex A – Specified amounts and guideline rent increases for the FYE March 2024 – Wales.

For the FYE March 2024 RRSL calculation, the rebate proportion is 0.44.

Amendment to the Subsidy Order

The Secretary of State for the Department for Work and Pensions will make an amending Subsidy Order following a statutory consultation period; publishing the specified amounts and guideline rent increases for Welsh LAs, to be used in Wales to determine the subsidy limitation deduction.

Specified amounts and guideline rent increases for the FYE March 2024 – Wales

LA Specified amount ‘O’ Guideline rent increase ‘P’
Caerphilly 104.56 8.10
Cardiff 117.78 9.23
Carmarthenshire 103.72 8.12
Denbighshire 104.47 8.31
Flintshire 109.56 8.50
Isle of Anglesey 105.09 8.34
Pembrokeshire 107.02 7.87
Powys 107.42 8.28
Swansea 104.77 8.42
Vale of Glamorgan 117.24 8.79
Wrexham 107.82 8.41