The Housing Renewal Grants (Amendment) (Wales) Regulations 2026

Welsh Statutory Instruments

2026 No. 61

HOUSING, WALES

The Housing Renewal Grants (Amendment) (Wales) Regulations 2026

Made

4 March 2026

Coming into force

1 April 2026

The Welsh Ministers make the following Regulations in exercise of the powers conferred on the Secretary of State by sections 30 and 146(1) and (2) of the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996(1) and now exercisable by them(2).

Title, coming into force and application

1.—(1) The title of these Regulations is the Housing Renewal Grants (Amendment) (Wales) Regulations 2026 and they come into force on 1 April 2026.

(2) These Regulations apply in relation to Wales.

Amendments to the Housing Renewal Grants Regulations 1996

2.  In regulation 41 (interpretation) of the Housing Renewal Grants Regulations 1996(3), in the definition of “access funds”(4)—

(a) at the end of paragraph (c) omit “or”;

(b) after paragraph (d) insert—“or

“(e) payments made by the Welsh Ministers or by the Commission for Tertiary Education and Research under section 97(1)(d) or (e) of the Tertiary Education and Research (Wales) Act 2022(5);”.

Jayne Bryant

Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government, one of the Welsh Ministers

4 March 2026

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations amend the Housing Renewal Grants Regulations 1996 (“the 1996 Regulations”), which set out the means test for determining the amount of grant which may be paid by local housing authorities under Chapter 1 of Part 1 of the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996. Certain payments which fall within the definition of “access funds” are disregarded for the purpose of the means test.

The Tertiary Education and Research (Wales) Act 2022 (“the 2022 Act”) establishes the Commission for Tertiary Education and Research (“the Commission”) and provides a new statutory framework for publicly funded tertiary education and research in Wales. These Regulations amend the 1996 Regulations to provide that payments made by the Welsh Ministers or the Commission under section 97(1)(d) or (e) of the 2022 Act are included in the definition of “access funds” for the purpose of the means test set out in the 1996 Regulations.

The Welsh Ministers’ Code of Practice on the carrying out of Regulatory Impact Assessments was considered in relation to these Regulations. As a result, it was not considered necessary to carry out a regulatory impact assessment as to the likely costs and benefits of complying with these Regulations.

(1)

1996 c. 53.

(2)

The powers of the Secretary of State under sections 30, 146(1) and 146(2) of the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996 in relation to Wales were transferred to the National Assembly for Wales by article 2 of, and Schedule 1 to, the National Assembly for Wales (Transfer of Functions) Order 1999 (S.I. 1999/672) and are now vested in the Welsh Ministers by virtue of section 162 of, and paragraph 30 of Schedule 11 to, the Government of Wales Act 2006 (c. 32). The National Assembly for Wales was renamed Senedd Cymru or the Welsh Parliament by section 2 of the Senedd and Elections (Wales) Act 2020 (anaw 1). By virtue of paragraph 7 of Part 2 of Schedule 3 to the Government of Wales Act 2006, the requirement for Treasury approval in section 30(9) of the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996 is disapplied.

(3)

S.I. 1996/2890; relevant amendments are S.I. 1999/1523, 2001/2073 (W. 145), 2002/2798 (W. 266), 2004/253 (W. 28), 2005/3238 (W. 243), 2010/297 (W. 39) and 2024/754 (W. 106). There are other amending instruments but none are relevant.

(4)

The definition of “access funds” in regulation 41 was inserted by S.I. 2001/2073 (W. 145), regulation 12(a). Relevant amendments are S.I. 2002/2798 (W. 266), 2005/3238 (W. 243), 2010/297 (W. 39) and 2024/754 (W. 106). There are other amendments not relevant to these Regulations.

(5)

2022 asc 1.