The 2024-25 Rates Support Grant provided to Councils will be set at £3.1m, a £1.8m reduction on the grant provided in 2023-24. The (budget) policy is trying to meet the challenge of the Department operating within their current spending limits while delivering services and meeting objectives. The RSG budget is a discretionary amount of funding which is able to provide financial support to less wealthier councils as defined in Section 27 of the Local Government Finance Act (Northern Ireland) 2011 and Local Government (Rates Support Grant) Regulations 2011. There is no change to the statutory formula or how the budget is allocated to eligible councils. The overall total budget allocated by the Department for Communities (DfC) for distribution is discretionary and must therefore be considered in the context of the Department’s overall budget priorities and challenges.