Public Lending Right rate rises to 12.40p per loan
The government will set the Public Lending Right rate at 12.40p per loan for the 2024/25 scheme year, up from 11.76p.
On 8 January 2026 the Department for Culture, Media and Sport published its response to the consultation on the Public Lending Right rate per loan for the 2024/25 scheme year. It will proceed with the British Library Board's recommendation of 12.40 pence per loan, an increase of 0.64 pence from 11.76 pence in 2023/24, and a statutory instrument will be laid.
The department said the increase mainly reflects a fall in the estimated number of registered and qualifying loans, together with other factors such as an increase in the funding the British Library allocated to payments. The scheme year covers loans of print books, audiobooks, ebooks and e-audiobooks from UK public libraries, including remote lending.
The consultation ran from 13 October to 7 November 2025 and received 18 responses, most of which supported the recommendation.
Why it matters: a higher rate per loan is welcome for registered authors and contributors, although it reflects fewer loans rather than a larger fund. Anyone whose work is lent by public libraries, including narrators and illustrators, should check that their titles and formats are registered.
Sources: GOV.UK: Consultation on the proposed rate per loan for the 2024 to 2025 PLR scheme year; GOV.UK: Government response, PLR rate per loan 2024/25.