Registered Charities are entitled to relief from rates on any Non-Domestic property that is wholly or mainly used for charitable purposes. Relief is given at 80% of the bill. Local councils have discretion to give further relief on the remaining bill.

For full information on these reliefs see our Discretionary Business Rate Relief Policy. [PDF, 0.2MB]

You can also read the Discretionary Business Rate Relief Guidelines. [PDF, 0.2MB]

A not-for-profit organisation is one that is not made or used for profit, and are charitable, but the organisation itself is not registered as a charity.

We have the discretion to provide relief if:

• the organisation has a positive and measurable impact on its’ local community
• the organisation is easy to access for members of the community in the district, and how much the service is used by the community will also be considered
• facilities are being provided, that would otherwise not be available to the local community
• training or education is provided by and for the organisation, to residents or members of the organisation.

For full information on this relief see our Discretionary Business Rate Relief Policy. [PDF, 0.2MB]

You can also read the Discretionary Business Rate Relief Guidelines. [PDF, 0.2MB]

Hardship Relief is available to business in specific exceptional circumstances. You may be able to receive this relief if your business is suffering from unexpected hardship, which is outside of normal risks associated with the business.

Hardship Relief can be granted at our discretion if:

• you would be in financial difficulties without it
• giving Hardship Relief to you is in the interests of local people

For full information on these reliefs see our Discretionary Business Rate Relief Policy. [PDF, 0.2MB]

You can also read the Discretionary Business Rate Relief Guidelines. [PDF, 0.2MB]

A ratepayer is responsible for the full Non-Domestic Rate whether a property is wholly occupied or only partly occupied. If a property is partly occupied for a short period, we have discretion in certain limited cases to award relief for the unoccupied part.

For full information on these reliefs see our Discretionary Business Rate Relief Policy. [PDF, 0.2MB]

You can also read the Discretionary Business Rate Relief Guidelines. [PDF, 0.2MB]

CASC’s are entitled to 80% mandatory relief. We have discretion to consider giving up to an additional 20% in Discretionary Top-Up Relief.

If an amateur sports club is not a registered charity or a CASC, we would encourage the organisation to submit an application to either HMRC for CASC status or to the Charity Commission for charitable status. If you don’t have either of these statuses, it will not prevent your application from being considered.

For full information on these reliefs see our Discretionary Business Rate Relief Policy. [PDF, 0.2MB]

You can also read the Discretionary Business Rate Relief Guidelines. [PDF, 0.2MB]

You could qualify for Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Relief if your business is completely or mainly being used as a:

• shop
• restaurant, café, bar or pub
• cinema or music venue
• hospitality or leisure business - for example, a gym, a spa or a hotel.

If you’re eligible, you could get 40% off your Business Rates bills.

The most you can get in each tax year is £110,000 per business.

If you refuse Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Relief, you cannot subsequently withdraw your refusal for either all or part of the financial year.

For full information on these reliefs see our Discretionary Business Rate Relief Policy. [PDF, 0.2MB]

You can also read the Discretionary Business Rate Relief Guidelines. [PDF, 0.2MB]

There is currently no deadline for submitting applications for Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Relief, unless otherwise determined by a change in legislation. Applications may be submitted at any time and, where eligibility criteria are met, any award granted will be backdated to 1 April 2023.

In the 2025 Autumn Statement, the Chancellor confirmed that Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Relief will end on 31 March 2026 and be replaced from 1 April 2026 with a new system of permanently lower business rates multipliers.

There is no requirement to submit an application. However, if you believe your property has been assigned the incorrect multiplier and operates within the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure sector, please apply using form linked above.

Retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties

RHL multipliers will only apply if:

• your property is occupied
• it has a rateable value below £500,000
• it's wholly or mainly used for retail, hospitality and leisure purposes
• it's open to visiting members of the public

Section 69 of the Localism Act 2011 allows Local Authorities to award rate relief to all types of business, at their discretion.

This relief is fully funded by the local authority, so applications will only be considered for funding if they result in real benefits for local residents, like potential for further investments and jobs.

For full information on these reliefs see our Discretionary Business Rate Relief Policy. [PDF, 0.2MB]

You can also read the Discretionary Business Rate Relief Guidelines. [PDF, 0.2MB]