South East · 2025-26
Business Rates in Bracknell Forest UA
Businesses in Bracknell Forest UA paid £59.9m in net business rates during 2025-26, below the average English council's £93.2m.
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Relief granted in Bracknell Forest UA
Share of £10.8m total relief, 2025-26.
Bracknell Forest UA at a glance
Bracknell Forest UA granted £10.8m in relief overall, lower than the national council average of £26.3m. This included £1.9m in Small Business Rate Relief and £2.6m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief.
A further £3.2m went to charity relief and £3.2m to empty property relief, reflecting the mix of ratepayers across the local authority.
Bracknell Forest UA has an estimated 4,520 active businesses, according to the latest ONS Business Counts (2025).
Bracknell Forest UA ranks 271 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 office property in Bracknell Forest UA rose by 15.7% — if this pushed your assessment too high, an appeal may be worth considering.
Frequently asked questions
How much are business rates in Bracknell Forest UA?
Bracknell Forest UA's local authority collected £59.9m 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 Bracknell Forest UA?
Bracknell Forest UA granted £10.8m in business rates relief in 2025-26, including £1.9m in Small Business Rate Relief, £2.6m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief, £3.2m in charity relief, and £3.2m 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.
Bracknell Forest UA compared with the South East and England
- Average rateable value
- £52,838£17,542 above the South East average (£35,296)£18,848 above the England average (£33,990)
- Largest sector by value
- Office property, 28.1%11.3 percentage points above its 16.8% share in the South East
- Total rateable value, 2023 to 2026 list
- +14.8%South East: +19.7%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
With an average rateable value of £52,838, Bracknell Forest UA has the 29th highest figure of England's 296 councils and 9th of 64 in the South East. Office property also accounts for the most properties in Bracknell Forest UA, at 32.4% of its rateable properties.
In Bracknell Forest UA, retail is 21.6% of rateable properties and 23.0% of rateable value; across the South East the figures are 22.5% and 20.7%. High-value property is limited in Bracknell Forest UA: around 40 properties were rated at £500,000 or more at March 2026, rising to around 50 on the 2026 list.
Change at the 2026 revaluation
Of the 63 other councils in the South East, 16 saw a weaker change in total rateable value at the 2026 revaluation than Bracknell Forest UA's +14.8% and 47 saw a stronger one. Other commercial property saw the biggest rise in Bracknell Forest UA: total rateable value up 17.5% between the 2023 and 2026 lists, against +26.7% for other commercial property across the South East. Even the weakest sector in Bracknell Forest UA, retail property, rose 8.5% in total rateable value at the 2026 revaluation, against +10.8% for retail property across the South East.
Reliefs
Total relief granted in Bracknell Forest UA equalled 14.8% of gross rates payable in 2025-26, below the 21.2% across English councils taken together. Of the four main reliefs, charity relief accounted for the most in Bracknell Forest UA: 30.0% of the total, close to the England figure of 29.7%.
Source: HM Revenue & Customs, using Valuation Office Agency data, and MHCLG relief returns. Open Government Licence v3.0. Method and rounding: /methodology.
See how Bracknell Forest UA compares with the rest of the region: Business rates in South East, State of Business Rates in England 2026 →
Nearby areas
Compare with other councils in the South East
Other South East councils with their average rateable value, listed from the closest to Bracknell Forest UA's £52,838.
- Business rates in Rushmoor£52,940 average rateable value, £102 higher than Bracknell Forest UA
- Business rates in Runnymede£52,461 average rateable value, £377 lower than Bracknell Forest UA
- Business rates in Cherwell£51,814 average rateable value, £1,024 lower than Bracknell Forest UA
- Business rates in Milton Keynes UA£55,663 average rateable value, £2,825 higher than Bracknell Forest UA
- Business rates in Vale of White Horse£48,396 average rateable value, £4,442 lower than Bracknell Forest UA
- Business rates in Oxford£63,533 average rateable value, £10,695 higher than Bracknell Forest UA
Figures from MHCLG National Non-Domestic Rates statistics (2025-26), ONS UK Business Counts (2025), and English Indices of Deprivation (2025).
Updates for Bracknell Forest
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