{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/income-related-benefits-subsidy-to-authorities-amendment-order-2017/note",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/income-related-benefits-subsidy-to-authorities-amendment-order-2017/note.json",
  "legislation": "uksi/2017/900",
  "legislation_title": "The Income-related Benefits (Subsidy to Authorities) Amendment Order 2017",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/income-related-benefits-subsidy-to-authorities-amendment-order-2017",
  "path": "note",
  "kind": "note",
  "number": null,
  "heading": "Explanatory note",
  "text": "(This note is not part of the Order)\nThis Order amends the Income-related Benefits (Subsidy to Authorities) Order 1998 (S.I. 1998/562) (“the 1998 Order”) which provides for the calculation and payment of housing benefit subsidy to local authorities in England, Wales and Scotland which administer housing benefit. Section 140F(2) of the Social Security Administration Act 1992 (c.5) authorises the making, revocation or varying of an Order before, during or after the year to which it relates.\nArticle 2(3) substitutes Schedule 1 to the 1998 Order with a new Schedule 1 prescribing the sums to be used in the calculation of subsidy for the year beginning 1st April 2016.\nArticle 2(2)(a) and (4) and Schedule 2 have effect for the purposes of determining additional amounts of subsidy payable for the year beginning with 1st April 2017. In particular, it prescribes a system for the making of additional payments of subsidy to be made to local authorities which participate in the Right Benefit Initiative Scheme (“the RBI Scheme”), as notified by the Secretary of State to local authorities on 30th March 2017.\nIn the RBI scheme, participating authorities are given funding to carry out activities with a view to reducing fraud and error in relation to the payment of housing benefit based on its use of real time information. Some or all of the funding may be recovered if the Secretary of State is satisfied that the funding is not being used in connection with those activities. The amendments at article 2(2)(b) and (5) revoke provisions relating to the previous incentive scheme.\nHard copies of the circulars referenced in new Schedule 1ZA to the 1998 Order which set out details of the RBI Scheme and the amounts of the payment, are available from the Department for Work and Pensions, Caxton House, Tothill Street, London SW1H 9NA.\nArticle 3 has effect for the purposes of determining subsidy payable for the year beginning with 1st April 2017. Paragraph (2) amends paragraph 3 of Schedule 4A to provide that the rebate proportion figure for 2017/2018 is 0.739. Paragraph (3) substitutes Part 3 of Schedule 4A to the 1998 Order in respect of weekly rent limits for authorities in England. With respect to authorities in Wales, paragraph (4) substitutes Part 5 of Schedule 4A to the 1998 Order which sets out the specified amount “O” and the guideline rent increase “P” used when calculating deductions from subsidy under paragraph 4 in Part 4 of that Schedule.\nThe amendment in article 4 requires local authorities in England to inform the Secretary of State of the identity of their auditor before 1st March in the year before the year for which subsidy is payable.\nThe amendments in article 5 relate to the fact that the Secretary of State no longer subsidises the temporary accommodation management fee through the subsidy.\nAn impact assessment has not been produced for this instrument as it has no impact on the private sector or civil society organisations.",
  "extent": null,
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2017/900/note",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-28T23:08:07.916672+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}