Guidance
S7/2020 Additional New Burden funding to meet the costs of implementing Local Housing Allowance changes 2020-21
Updated 26 November 2020
© Crown copyright 2020
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Who should read
All Housing Benefit staff.
Action
For information.
Guidance manual
The information in this circular does not affect the content of the HB Guidance Manual.
Queries
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Introduction
1. This circular is to inform you of additional funding of £0.45 million that will be allocated to local authorities (LAs) to support the costs of implementing Local Housing Allowance (LHA) changes in 2020-21.
2. In response to COVID-19, the decision was made to increase LHA rates to the 30th percentile of local rents from April 2020.
3. Increasing LHA rates to the 30th percentile in April will provide immediate help to claimants on both Housing Benefit (HB) and Universal Credit with their housing costs by alleviating shortfalls between their rent and housing support. The national maximum caps have also been increased to ensure that any LHA rate in central and inner London that are currently capped will also receive an increase.
4. This funding is to support an increase in LA costs to issue new notifications to all HB claimants affected by the increase in the LHA rates due to this policy change.
Funding and payments details
5. This New Burden funding of £0.45 million supports the extra postage costs LAs will have incurred as a result of implementing the new LHA rates. Distribution is based on number of claimants in each LA affected by the change in the LHA rate.
6. The individual LA allocations are provided in the table below.
7. Each LA will receive their allocations in the week commencing 1 June 2020.
Allocation of additional funding
| Local authority | Additional LHA funding |
|---|---|
| Aberdeen City Council | £244.00 |
| Aberdeenshire Council | £258.00 |
| Adur District Council | £467.00 |
| Allerdale Borough Council | £306.00 |
| Amber Valley Borough Council | £799.00 |
| Angus Council | £575.00 |
| Argyll and Bute Council | £515.00 |
| Arun District Council | £1,659.00 |
| Ashfield District Council | £1,246.00 |
| Ashford Borough Council | £950.00 |
| Babergh District Council | £383.00 |
| Barnsley Borough Council | £1,806.00 |
| Barrow Borough Council | £966.00 |
| Basildon District Council | £764.00 |
| Basingstoke and Deane District Council | £570.00 |
| Bassetlaw District Council | £739.00 |
| Bath and North East Somerset Council | £354.00 |
| Bedford Borough Council | £646.00 |
| Birmingham City Council | £8,119.00 |
| Blaby District Council | £486.00 |
| Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council | £1,382.00 |
| Blackpool Borough Council | £2,553.00 |
| Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council | £827.00 |
| Bolsover District Council | £735.00 |
| Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council | £2,365.00 |
| Borough of Redditch | £339.00 |
| Borough of Wellingborough | £402.00 |
| Boston Borough Council | £489.00 |
| Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council | £5,090.00 |
| Bracknell Forest Borough Council | £451.00 |
| Bradford Metropolitan Borough Council | £3,670.00 |
| Braintree District Council | £609.00 |
| Breckland District Council | £834.00 |
| Brentwood District Council | £233.00 |
| Bridgend County Borough Council | £1,928.00 |
| Brighton and Hove Council | £3,010.00 |
| Bristol City Council | £2,161.00 |
| Broadland District Council | £599.00 |
| Bromsgrove District Council | £312.00 |
| Broxbourne Borough Council | £741.00 |
| Broxtowe Council | £706.00 |
| Buckinghamshire Council | £1,747.00 |
| Burnley Borough Council | £1,296.00 |
| Bury Metropolitan Borough Council | £1,490.00 |
| Caerphilly County Borough Council | £1,762.00 |
| Calderdale Borough Council | £2,097.00 |
| Cambridge City Council | £165.00 |
| Cannock Chase District Council | £677.00 |
| Canterbury City Council | £1,149.00 |
| Cardiff City Council | £3,259.00 |
| Carmarthenshire County Council | £2,002.00 |
| Castle Point District Council | £917.00 |
| Central Bedfordshire | £858.00 |
| Ceredigion Council | £883.00 |
| Charnwood Borough Council | £772.00 |
| Chelmsford Borough Council | £745.00 |
| Cheltenham Borough Council | £587.00 |
| Cherwell District Council | £505.00 |
| Cheshire East Council | £1,588.00 |
| Cheshire West and Chester Council | £1,592.00 |
| Chesterfield Borough Council | £799.00 |
| Chichester District Council | £684.00 |
| Chorley Borough Council | £675.00 |
| City of Carlisle District Council | £318.00 |
| City of Edinburgh Council | £2,203.00 |
| City of Glasgow | £3,251.00 |
| City of Lincoln Council | £681.00 |
| City of London | £3.00 |
| City of Westminster | £1,651.00 |
| City of York Council | £579.00 |
| Clackmannanshire Council | £221.00 |
| Colchester Borough Council | £1,467.00 |
| Comhairle Nan Eilean Siar Council | £39.00 |
| Conwy County Borough Council | £697.00 |
| Copeland Borough Council | £295.00 |
| Corby Borough Council | £362.00 |
| Cornwall Council | £6,736.00 |
| Cotswold District Council | £273.00 |
| Coventry City Council | £3,422.00 |
| Craven District Council | £101.00 |
| Crawley Borough Council | £617.00 |
| Dacorum Borough Council | £499.00 |
| Darlington Borough Council | £1,313.00 |
| Dartford Borough Council | £592.00 |
| Daventry District Council | £165.00 |
| Denbighshire County Council | £833.00 |
| Derby City Council | £1,890.00 |
| Derbyshire Dales District Council | £310.00 |
| Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council | £2,550.00 |
| Dorset Council | £2,704.00 |
| Dover District Council | £1,099.00 |
| Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council | £1,834.00 |
| Dumfries and Galloway Council | £1,110.00 |
| Dundee City Council | £938.00 |
| Durham County Council | £3,405.00 |
| East Ayrshire Council | £36.00 |
| East Cambridgeshire District Council | £226.00 |
| East Devon District Council | £1,298.00 |
| East Dunbartonshire Council | £343.00 |
| East Hampshire District Council | £275.00 |
| East Hertfordshire District Council | £476.00 |
| East Lindsey District Council | £2,280.00 |
| East Lothian District Council | £139.00 |
| East Northamptonshire District Council | £372.00 |
| East Renfrewshire Council | £268.00 |
| East Riding of Yorkshire Council | £3,657.00 |
| East Staffordshire Borough Council | £846.00 |
| East Suffolk Council | £1,965.00 |
| Eastbourne Borough Council | £2,270.00 |
| Eastleigh Borough Council | £368.00 |
| Eden District Council | £94.00 |
| Elmbridge Borough Council | £750.00 |
| Epping Forest District Council | £708.00 |
| Epsom and Ewell Borough Council | £384.00 |
| Erewash Borough Council | £624.00 |
| Exeter City Council | £912.00 |
| Falkirk District Council | £538.00 |
| Fareham Borough Council | £506.00 |
| Fenland District Council | £969.00 |
| Fife Council | £1,918.00 |
| Flintshire County Council | £698.00 |
| Folkestone & Hythe District Council | £1,807.00 |
| Forest of Dean District Council | £398.00 |
| Fylde Borough Council | £390.00 |
| Gateshead Borough Council | £1,639.00 |
| Gedling Borough Council | £1,039.00 |
| Gloucester City Council | £1,004.00 |
| Gosport Borough Council | £690.00 |
| Gravesham Borough Council | £635.00 |
| Great Yarmouth Council | £1,062.00 |
| Guildford Borough Council | £455.00 |
| Gwynedd Council | £918.00 |
| Halton Borough Council | £625.00 |
| Hambleton District Council | £361.00 |
| Harborough District Council | £286.00 |
| Harlow District Council | £412.00 |
| Harrogate Borough Council | £634.00 |
| Harrow Council | £3,298.00 |
| Hart District Council | £306.00 |
| Hartlepool Borough Council | £1,059.00 |
| Hastings Borough Council | £1,633.00 |
| Havant Borough Council | £846.00 |
| Herefordshire Council | £1,206.00 |
| Hertsmere Borough Council | £488.00 |
| High Peak Borough Council | £88.00 |
| Highland Council | £633.00 |
| Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council | £410.00 |
| Horsham District Council | £444.00 |
| Hull City Council | £3,379.00 |
| Huntingdonshire District Council | £675.00 |
| Hyndburn Borough Council | £1,183.00 |
| Inverclyde District Council | £170.00 |
| Ipswich Borough Council | £1,172.00 |
| Isle of Anglesey County Council | £735.00 |
| Isle of Wight County Council | £2,335.00 |
| Isles of Scilly Council | £0.00 |
| Kettering Borough Council | £674.00 |
| Kings Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council | £1,150.00 |
| Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council | £3,588.00 |
| Knowsley Borough Council | £1,493.00 |
| Lancaster City Council | £1,313.00 |
| Leeds City Council | £5,590.00 |
| Leicester City Council | £3,577.00 |
| Lewes District Council | £1,157.00 |
| Lichfield District Council | £349.00 |
| Liverpool City Council | £5,767.00 |
| London Borough of Barking and Dagenham | £2,495.00 |
| London Borough of Barnet | £5,870.00 |
| London Borough of Bexley | £1,462.00 |
| London Borough of Brent | £5,529.00 |
| London Borough of Bromley | £1,737.00 |
| London Borough of Camden | £876.00 |
| London Borough of Croydon | £2,673.00 |
| London Borough of Ealing | £4,584.00 |
| London Borough of Enfield | £6,404.00 |
| London Borough of Hackney | £2,595.00 |
| London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham | £621.00 |
| London Borough of Haringey | £3,677.00 |
| London Borough of Havering | £1,831.00 |
| London Borough of Hillingdon | £2,936.00 |
| London Borough of Hounslow | £1,858.00 |
| London Borough of Islington | £533.00 |
| London Borough of Lambeth | £1,232.00 |
| London Borough of Lewisham | £1,782.00 |
| London Borough of Merton | £1,338.00 |
| London Borough of Newham | £4,449.00 |
| London Borough of Redbridge | £4,648.00 |
| London Borough of Richmond upon Thames | £760.00 |
| London Borough of Southwark | £446.00 |
| London Borough of Sutton | £829.00 |
| London Borough of Tower Hamlets | £1,082.00 |
| London Borough of Waltham Forest | £2,286.00 |
| London Borough of Wandsworth | £1,478.00 |
| Luton Borough Council | £2,633.00 |
| Maidstone Borough Council | £902.00 |
| Maldon District Council | £309.00 |
| Malvern Hills District Council | £342.00 |
| Manchester City Council | £3,797.00 |
| Mansfield District Council | £149.00 |
| Medway Council | £2,731.00 |
| Melton Borough Council | £219.00 |
| Mendip District Council | £628.00 |
| Merthyr Tydfil Borough Council | £560.00 |
| Mid Devon District Council | £559.00 |
| Mid Suffolk District Council | £363.00 |
| Mid Sussex District Council | £504.00 |
| Middlesbrough Council | £2,600.00 |
| Midlothian Council | £145.00 |
| Milton Keynes Borough Council | £1,871.00 |
| Mole Valley District Council | £254.00 |
| Monmouthshire County Council | £495.00 |
| Moray Council | £339.00 |
| Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council | £1,778.00 |
| New Forest District Council | £1,047.00 |
| Newark and Sherwood District Council | £708.00 |
| Newcastle City Council | £1,735.00 |
| Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council | £611.00 |
| Newport City Council | £1,130.00 |
| North Ayrshire Council | £61.00 |
| North Devon District Council | £1,229.00 |
| North East Derbyshire District Council | £366.00 |
| North East Lincolnshire Council | £2,592.00 |
| North Hertfordshire District Council | £345.00 |
| North Kesteven District Council | £641.00 |
| North Lanarkshire Council | £1,710.00 |
| North Lincolnshire Council | £1,204.00 |
| North Norfolk District Council | £898.00 |
| North Somerset Council | £1,790.00 |
| North Tyneside Borough Council | £1,722.00 |
| North Warwickshire District Council | £324.00 |
| North West Leicestershire District Council | £367.00 |
| Northampton Borough Council | £1,304.00 |
| Northumberland County Council | £3,490.00 |
| Norwich City Council | £738.00 |
| Nottingham City Council | £3,238.00 |
| Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council | £857.00 |
| Oadby and Wigston Borough Council | £406.00 |
| Oldham Borough Council | £1,819.00 |
| Orkney Islands Council | £64.00 |
| Oxford City Council | £735.00 |
| Pembrokeshire County Council | £1,342.00 |
| Pendle Borough Council | £1,231.00 |
| Perth and Kinross Council | £659.00 |
| Peterborough City Council | £1,415.00 |
| Plymouth City Council | £2,709.00 |
| Portsmouth City Council | £2,314.00 |
| Powys County Council | £1,075.00 |
| Preston Borough Council | £1,174.00 |
| Reading Borough Council | £1,103.00 |
| Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council | £1,945.00 |
| Reigate and Banstead Borough Council | £623.00 |
| Renfrewshire Council | £557.00 |
| Rhonda-Cynon-Taff County Borough Council | £3,567.00 |
| Ribble Valley Borough Council | £283.00 |
| Richmondshire District Council | £207.00 |
| Rochdale Borough Council | £2,150.00 |
| Rochford District Council | £436.00 |
| Rossendale Borough Council | £678.00 |
| Rother District Council | £855.00 |
| Rotherham Borough Council | £1,963.00 |
| Royal Borough of Greenwich | £1,793.00 |
| Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea | £623.00 |
| Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames | £1,008.00 |
| Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead | £543.00 |
| Rugby Borough Council | £246.00 |
| Runnymede Borough Council | £362.00 |
| Rushcliffe Borough Council | £446.00 |
| Rushmoor Borough Council | £1,364.00 |
| Rutland County Council | £91.00 |
| Ryedale District Council | £218.00 |
| Salford City Council | £1,807.00 |
| Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council | £2,450.00 |
| Scarborough Borough Council | £1,739.00 |
| Scottish Borders Council | £639.00 |
| Sedgemoor District Council | £851.00 |
| Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council | £3,265.00 |
| Selby District Council | £348.00 |
| Sevenoaks District Council | £450.00 |
| Sheffield City Council | £3,308.00 |
| Shetland Islands Council | £11.00 |
| Shropshire Council | £1,718.00 |
| Slough Borough Council | £1,553.00 |
| Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council | £977.00 |
| Somerset West and Taunton Council | £1,012.00 |
| South Ayrshire Council | £43.00 |
| South Cambridgeshire District Council | £253.00 |
| South Derbyshire District Council | £588.00 |
| South Gloucestershire Council | £1,067.00 |
| South Hams District Council | £675.00 |
| South Holland District Council | £547.00 |
| South Kesteven District Council | £775.00 |
| South Lakeland District Council | £535.00 |
| South Lanarkshire Council | £1,577.00 |
| South Norfolk District Council | £624.00 |
| South Northamptonshire Council | £239.00 |
| South Oxfordshire District Council | £353.00 |
| South Ribble Borough Council | £605.00 |
| South Somerset District Council | £842.00 |
| South Staffordshire District Council | £354.00 |
| South Tyneside Council | £1,381.00 |
| Southampton City Council | £1,378.00 |
| Southend on Sea Borough Council | £2,371.00 |
| Spelthorne Borough Council | £595.00 |
| St Albans District Council | £324.00 |
| St Helens Borough Council | £1,514.00 |
| Stafford Borough Council | £504.00 |
| Staffordshire Moorlands District Council | £510.00 |
| Stevenage Borough Council | £375.00 |
| Stirling Council | £245.00 |
| Stockport Borough Council | £1,202.00 |
| Stockton on Tees Borough Council | £2,497.00 |
| Stoke on Trent City Council | £2,494.00 |
| Stratford on Avon District Council | £369.00 |
| Stroud District Council | £486.00 |
| Sunderland City Council | £3,461.00 |
| Surrey Heath Borough Council | £387.00 |
| Swale Borough Council | £1,379.00 |
| Swansea City Council | £1,893.00 |
| Swindon Borough Council | £813.00 |
| Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council | £1,970.00 |
| Tamworth Borough Council | £348.00 |
| Tandridge District Council | £318.00 |
| Teignbridge District Council | £1,750.00 |
| Telford and Wrekin Council | £2,508.00 |
| Tendring District Council | £2,847.00 |
| Test Valley Borough Council | £330.00 |
| Tewkesbury Borough Council | £323.00 |
| Thanet District Council | £2,609.00 |
| Three Rivers Council | £271.00 |
| Thurrock Borough Council | £993.00 |
| Tonbridge and Malling District Council | £488.00 |
| Torbay Council | £3,924.00 |
| Torfaen Borough Council | £521.00 |
| Torridge District Council | £938.00 |
| Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council | £762.00 |
| Tunbridge Wells Borough Council | £535.00 |
| Uttlesford District Council | £156.00 |
| Vale of Glamorgan Council | £1,535.00 |
| Vale of White Horse District Council | £230.00 |
| Wakefield Council | £2,651.00 |
| Walsall Borough Council | £2,152.00 |
| Warrington Borough Council | £858.00 |
| Warwick District Council | £353.00 |
| Watford Borough Council | £615.00 |
| Waverley Borough Council | £454.00 |
| Wealden District Council | £857.00 |
| Welwyn Hatfield District Council | £248.00 |
| West Berkshire Council | £537.00 |
| West Devon Borough Council | £428.00 |
| West Dunbartonshire Council | £114.00 |
| West Lancashire District Council | £473.00 |
| West Lindsey District Council | £863.00 |
| West Lothian Council | £834.00 |
| West Oxfordshire District Council | £301.00 |
| West Suffolk Council | £624.00 |
| Wigan Council | £1,022.00 |
| Wiltshire Council | £1,653.00 |
| Winchester City Council | £292.00 |
| Wirral Borough Council | £1,603.00 |
| Woking Borough Council | £526.00 |
| Wokingham District Council | £386.00 |
| Wolverhampton City Council | £1,971.00 |
| Worcester City Council | £594.00 |
| Worthing Borough Council | £1,290.00 |
| Wrexham Council | £722.00 |
| Wychavon District Council | £453.00 |
| Wyre Borough Council | £843.00 |
| Wyre Forest District Council | £825.00 |