Summary#
The Sovereign Grant Bill is described as amending the Sovereign Grant Act 2011; its text gives the short title Sovereign Grant Act 2026. It sets the grant for 2027–28 and changes how later amounts are determined, with the stated purpose of providing financial support for the King and other members of the Royal Household. The supplied status says it has received Royal Assent, but the text provided is the version brought from the Commons, not the final Act.
- The Royal Trustees would use a percentage of the Crown Estate’s income account net surplus to determine later grant amounts.
- The Treasury would have a duty and a power to specify later grant amounts in certain circumstances; the supplied text does not show what those circumstances are.
- The bill changes the Sovereign Grant Act 2011, but the supplied extract does not show the grant amount for 2027–28 or the percentage for later years.
- Other provisions are stated to come into force on 1 April 2027.
What it means for you#
- Royal Household: The grant is for the financial support of the King and other members of the Royal Household. The bill changes how its amount is set, but the supplied text does not give the amounts or full calculation rules.
- Royal Trustees and Treasury: The Trustees would use the stated percentage to determine later amounts. The Treasury would have a duty and a power to specify amounts in certain circumstances. The details are not available in the supplied text.
- Public: The bill does not, in the supplied text, create a new tax, fee, fine, or direct service for the public.
- Current arrangements: The Sovereign Grant Act 2011 is the Act being amended, but that Act was not supplied, so I could not verify how the bill changes the current rules in detail.
Money#
The bill sets a grant amount for 2027–28 and a method for determining later amounts, but the supplied material does not give the figures.
- No publicly available information in the supplied materials on the 2027–28 amount, the later percentage, or the resulting public cost.
- The grant is linked to the Crown Estate’s income account net surplus, but the supplied text does not show the full formula or any limits on the amount.
What is unclear#
- The actual grant amount for 2027–28 and the percentage used for later years.
- The circumstances in which the Treasury must or may specify later amounts.
- Whether the final Act differs from the Commons version supplied here.
- How the new rules interact with the existing Sovereign Grant Act 2011; its text was not provided.
- The supplied extract does not show any process, oversight, or reporting rules for setting the amounts.
Case for#
- The bill appears intended to set the grant for 2027–28 and provide a rule for determining later amounts, rather than leaving the future method unspecified.
- Linking later calculations to Crown Estate net surplus could connect the grant to a stated source of income.
- Giving the Treasury a role in certain circumstances could provide a way to specify an amount when those circumstances arise.
Case against#
- A grant linked to Crown Estate surplus could vary with that surplus; the supplied material does not show the percentage, limits, or safeguards.
- Without the grant figure and calculation details, the public cannot assess the scale or likely change in funding from the supplied material.
- The Treasury’s stated duty and power are not explained in the supplied extract, so it is unclear when they apply or how much discretion they allow.