South West · 2025-26
Business Rates in Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole UA
Businesses in Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole UA paid £148.1m in net business rates during 2025-26, above the average English council's £93.2m.
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Relief granted in Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole UA
Share of £57.7m total relief, 2025-26.
Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole UA at a glance
Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole UA granted £57.7m in relief overall, higher than the national council average of £26.3m. This included £19.0m in Small Business Rate Relief and £12.4m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief.
A further £15.4m went to charity relief and £6.8m to empty property relief, reflecting the mix of ratepayers across the local authority.
Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole UA has an estimated 15,600 active businesses, according to the latest ONS Business Counts (2025).
Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole UA ranks 169 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 retail property in Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole UA rose by 3.0% — if this pushed your assessment too high, an appeal may be worth considering.
Frequently asked questions
How much are business rates in Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole UA?
Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole UA's local authority collected £148.1m 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 Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole UA?
Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole UA granted £57.7m in business rates relief in 2025-26, including £19.0m in Small Business Rate Relief, £12.4m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief, £15.4m in charity relief, and £6.8m 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.
Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole UA compared with the South West and England
- Average rateable value
- £24,826£882 above the South West average (£23,944)£9,164 below the England average (£33,990)
- Largest sector by value
- Other commercial property, 33.4%in line with its 34.0% share in the South West
- Total rateable value, 2023 to 2026 list
- +13.6%South West: +17.7%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, Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole UA sits 190th among England's 296 councils at £24,826, which is 12th of 27 in the South West. The same sector leads on numbers too: 43.6% of Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole UA's rateable properties fall in the other commercial category.
Retail makes up 25.8% of Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole UA's rateable properties and 30.1% of its rateable value, both above the 20.1% and 22.7% across the South West. At March 2026, around 80 of Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole UA's rateable properties had a rateable value of £500,000 or more, rising to 100 on the 2026 list.
Change at the 2026 revaluation
Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole UA's +13.6% change in total rateable value at the 2026 revaluation was weaker than in 21 of the 26 other councils in the South West. The sharpest increase in Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole UA was in other commercial property, where total rateable value rose 19.7% at the 2026 revaluation, compared with +23.0% for other commercial property across the South West. No sector fell in Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole UA: retail property moved least, up 3.0% at the 2026 revaluation, compared with +7.7% for retail property across the South West.
Reliefs
In 2025-26, relief in Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole UA came to 27.1% of gross rates payable, above the 21.2% for England as a whole. Small Business Rate Relief was the largest of the four main reliefs in Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole UA, at 32.9% of total relief, above 28.0% across England.
Source: HM Revenue & Customs, using Valuation Office Agency data, and MHCLG relief returns. Open Government Licence v3.0. Method and rounding: /methodology.
See how Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole UA compares with the rest of the region: Business rates in South West, State of Business Rates in England 2026 →
Nearby areas
Compare with other councils in the South West
Other South West councils with their average rateable value, listed from the closest to Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole UA's £24,826.
- Business rates in Stroud£23,824 average rateable value, £1,002 lower than Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole UA
- Business rates in Wiltshire UA£26,799 average rateable value, £1,973 higher than Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole UA
- Business rates in North Somerset UA£27,577 average rateable value, £2,751 higher than Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole UA
- Business rates in Somerset£21,868 average rateable value, £2,958 lower than Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole UA
- Business rates in Bath & North East Somerset UA£28,839 average rateable value, £4,013 higher than Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole UA
- Business rates in Plymouth UA£30,764 average rateable value, £5,938 higher than Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole UA
Figures from MHCLG National Non-Domestic Rates statistics (2025-26), ONS UK Business Counts (2025), and English Indices of Deprivation (2025).
Updates for Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole
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