East of England · 2025-26
Business Rates in Babergh
Businesses in Babergh paid £28.5m in net business rates during 2025-26, below the average English council's £93.2m.
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Relief granted in Babergh
Share of £10.1m total relief, 2025-26.
Babergh at a glance
Babergh granted £10.1m in relief overall, lower than the national council average of £26.3m. This included £4.3m in Small Business Rate Relief and £1.5m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief.
A further £2.4m went to charity relief and £1.0m to empty property relief, reflecting the mix of ratepayers across the local authority.
Babergh has an estimated 4,165 active businesses, according to the latest ONS Business Counts (2025).
Babergh ranks 193 out of 296 local authorities in England on the 2025 Index of Multiple Deprivation, where 1 is most deprived and 296 is least deprived.
Following the 2026 revaluation, the total rateable value of industrial property in Babergh rose by 15.0% — if this pushed your assessment too high, an appeal may be worth considering.
Frequently asked questions
How much are business rates in Babergh?
Babergh's local authority collected £28.5m in net business rates income during 2025-26, based on the national multiplier applied to each property's rateable value, less any relief granted.
What reliefs are available in Babergh?
Babergh granted £10.1m in business rates relief in 2025-26, including £4.3m in Small Business Rate Relief, £1.5m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief, £2.4m in charity relief, and £1.0m in empty property relief.
How do I know if I'm overpaying?
If your rateable value looks high compared to similar properties nearby, or you're not currently receiving relief you may be entitled to, it's worth checking your assessment. Use our free checker to compare your rateable value and see if you may be eligible for a reduction or backdated refund.
Babergh compared with the East of England and England
- Average rateable value
- £19,797£12,338 below the East of England average (£32,135)£14,193 below the England average (£33,990)
- Largest sector by value
- Industrial property, 40.6%6.0 percentage points above its 34.6% share in the East of England
- Total rateable value, 2023 to 2026 list
- +16.6%East of England: +18.3%England: +19.6%
Counts and rateable values are from the stock of properties at March 2026, on the 2023 rating list. Changes are from the 2026 revaluation, comparing the 2023 rating list with the 2026 rating list.
Property mix
On average rateable value, Babergh sits 248th among England's 296 councils at £19,797, which is 40th of 45 in the East of England. Industrial property also accounts for the most properties in Babergh, at 35.8% of its rateable properties.
In Babergh, retail is 16.0% of rateable properties and 20.7% of rateable value; across the East of England the figures are 20.6% and 18.7%. High-value property is limited in Babergh: around 10 properties were rated at £500,000 or more at March 2026, rising to around 20 on the 2026 list.
Change at the 2026 revaluation
Of the 44 other councils in the East of England, 23 saw a weaker change in total rateable value at the 2026 revaluation than Babergh's +16.6% and 20 saw a stronger one. Other commercial property saw the biggest rise in Babergh: total rateable value up 18.8% between the 2023 and 2026 lists, against +22.9% for other commercial property across the East of England. Even the weakest sector in Babergh, industrial property, rose 15.0% in total rateable value at the 2026 revaluation, against +20.2% for industrial property across the East of England.
Reliefs
Total relief granted in Babergh equalled 25.9% of gross rates payable in 2025-26, above the 21.2% across English councils taken together. Of the four main reliefs, Small Business Rate Relief accounted for the most in Babergh: 42.5% of the total, above the England figure of 28.0%.
Source: HM Revenue & Customs, using Valuation Office Agency data, and MHCLG relief returns. Open Government Licence v3.0. Method and rounding: /methodology.
See how Babergh compares with the rest of the region: Business rates in East of England, State of Business Rates in England 2026 →
Nearby areas
Compare with other councils in the East of England
Other East of England councils with their average rateable value, listed from the closest to Babergh's £19,797.
- Business rates in King's Lynn & West Norfolk£19,764 average rateable value, £33 lower than Babergh
- Business rates in Rochford£19,899 average rateable value, £102 higher than Babergh
- Business rates in East Suffolk£20,161 average rateable value, £364 higher than Babergh
- Business rates in South Norfolk£20,192 average rateable value, £395 higher than Babergh
- Business rates in Maldon£18,280 average rateable value, £1,517 lower than Babergh
- Business rates in Great Yarmouth£16,120 average rateable value, £3,677 lower than Babergh
Figures from MHCLG National Non-Domestic Rates statistics (2025-26), ONS UK Business Counts (2025), and English Indices of Deprivation (2025).
Updates for Babergh
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