Business rates relief

You may qualify for a discount on your business rates under certain circumstances, some examples are:

• the property is unoccupied
• the property is wholly or mainly used for charitable purposes
• the property is the sole qualifying business supplying a rural area ie: post office

We also have discretion to give relief on all, or part of, any rate bill for properties occupied by certain non-profit making bodies. We can also consider giving relief in cases of hardship or where part of a property is beyond use for a certain period.

To apply for business rates relief

Contact us for more information on how to apply.

See detailed information about business rates relief on GOV.UK.

Retail discount, retail hospitality and leisure relief

Retail Discount & Retail Hospitality and Leisure Relief schemes were set by the government.

Where eligible, the reliefs were awarded automatically and shown on business rate bills as a percentage relief reduction. Retail Hospitality and Leisure businesses could qualify for a reduction.

Examples of qualifying businesses are:

• shops
• restaurants
• cafés
• bars
• pubs
• cinemas
• music venues
• gyms
• spas
• casinos
• hotels

This is not a complete list of eligible businesses.

If the reliefs were not awarded and you believe you were eligible, email [email protected].

Retail hospitality and leisure relief for businesses with more than one premises

To claim the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure relief, businesses must not have exceeded, either:

• the £110,000 cash cap for the relevant year or
• the Small Amounts of Financial Assistance limit of £315,000 spanning a 3-year period

Download and complete form A and return it to the business rates team if:

• you or if appropriate a company in your group had received the 2025/26 Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Relief Scheme support on any other property but to a level below the £110,000 cash cap. You should list the other Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Relief being granted for premises other than the one to which this bill relates, and
• you or if appropriate a company in your group have not received more than the Small Amounts of Financial Assistance limit of £315,000 over 3 years (including 2025/26). If appropriate you should list the other subsidies you have received on the form

By completing form A, you are accepting the relief and declaring that you comply with the cash cap and exemption threshold.

Download and complete form B if the following apply to you:

• you exceeded the £110,000 cash cap on other properties, or
• you received more than the Small Amounts of Financial Assistance limit of £315,000 over 3 years (including 2025/26)

Please return the form to the business rates team, refusing the relief.

If you have exceeded the cash cap on other premises and wish to refuse to receive the retail hospitality and leisure relief granted on your bill, you must complete Form B and return it to the office shown on your business rates bill, via email or post. You do not need to complete declaration form A.

You do not need to complete either form if you have not received Retail Hospitality and Leisure Relief for more than one premises or don’t exceed the cash cap limits.

Changes From 1 April 2026

Retail Hospitality and Leisure Relief is no longer awarded as a percentage relief reduction and no longer shows as a separate line on the bill. The relief has been replaced by new multipliers.

Government introduced new Retail Hospitality and Leisure Relief (RHL) Multipliers and re-defined qualification for the relief which is based on the use of the property. The RHL multipliers are less than their respective standard multiplier and small business multiplier. It then follows, if eligible, the lower RHL multipliers provide a discount.

Film Studios Business Rates Relief

At the Budget on 6 March, the Chancellor announced that eligible film studios in England will receive a 40% reduction on gross business rates bills until 2034. The relief once implemented will apply to hereditaments assessed by the VOA as film studios, and will be backdated to 1 April 2024.

The government has published guidance setting out the eligibility criteria for the scheme. The Film Studios relief scheme guidance provides local authorities with information about the operation and delivery of the policy. The government encourages local authorities to quickly implement the scheme and apply the relief to eligible ratepayers.

For more information, please see:Business rates: Film studio relief - local authority guidance - GOV.UK

Improvement relief

Improvement relief was introduced in England and Wales from 1 April 2024. If you make certain improvements to your business premises, you may qualify for improvement relief. The relief gives a temporary reduction to your business rates bill.

We work together with the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) to implement the relief. The VOA will automatically assess any qualifying works and, if eligible, they will issue you with a certificate of qualifying works. They will pass this information on to us. We also receive details of the certificated qualifying works and assess occupation of the premises. To qualify, the certificated premises must have been occupied throughout the period of improvement works. If eligible, improvement relief will then be applied to the business rates bill.

Improvement relief can apply for up to 12 months from the date when the improvement works were completed. Improvement relief may end before the 12 month period has lapsed where the premises becomes empty or where there has been a change of ratepayer.

You can find out more about improvement relief on GOV.UK.

Who to contact

Contact the VOA with any questions about the certificate of qualifying works.

Contact us with any questions about occupation conditions or about your business rates bill.

If you think your certificate of qualifying works is wrong

There is no right of appeal against the certified values shown on your certificate, however, if you think there is something wrong with your qualifying works certificate, please contact the VOA using the email address shown on your certificate or you can use the VOA contact form on GOV.UK.

Opt out of relief

You can choose to opt out of reliefs in 2025/26 by writing to us. If you opt out of relief, you are unable to opt back in later.