Yorkshire and The Humber · 2025-26
Business Rates in Bradford
Businesses in Bradford paid £134.1m in net business rates during 2025-26, above the average English council's £93.2m.
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Relief granted in Bradford
Share of £67.6m total relief, 2025-26.
Bradford at a glance
Bradford granted £67.6m in relief overall, higher than the national council average of £26.3m. This included £28.9m in Small Business Rate Relief and £8.0m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief.
A further £18.7m went to charity relief and £8.8m to empty property relief, reflecting the mix of ratepayers across the local authority.
Bradford has an estimated 16,800 active businesses, according to the latest ONS Business Counts (2025).
Bradford ranks 12 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 Bradford rose by 14.9% — if this pushed your assessment too high, an appeal may be worth considering.
Frequently asked questions
How much are business rates in Bradford?
Bradford's local authority collected £134.1m 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 Bradford?
Bradford granted £67.6m in business rates relief in 2025-26, including £28.9m in Small Business Rate Relief, £8.0m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief, £18.7m in charity relief, and £8.8m 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.
Bradford compared with Yorkshire and The Humber, and England
- Average rateable value
- £19,415£5,228 below the Yorkshire and The Humber average (£24,643)£14,575 below the England average (£33,990)
- Largest sector by value
- Industrial property, 39.2%3.8 percentage points above its 35.4% share in Yorkshire and The Humber
- Total rateable value, 2023 to 2026 list
- +12.4%Yorkshire and The Humber: +17.8%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
Bradford comes 251st of 296 English councils on average rateable value (£19,415) and 11th of 15 in Yorkshire and The Humber. The same sector leads on numbers too: 31.4% of Bradford's rateable properties fall in the industrial category.
Retail makes up 30.7% of Bradford's rateable properties and 24.5% of its rateable value, both above the 24.8% and 21.7% across Yorkshire and The Humber. At March 2026, around 80 of Bradford's rateable properties had a rateable value of £500,000 or more, unchanged at around 80 on the 2026 list.
Change at the 2026 revaluation
Bradford's +12.4% change in total rateable value at the 2026 revaluation was weaker than in all 14 other councils in Yorkshire and The Humber. The sharpest increase in Bradford was in industrial property, where total rateable value rose 14.9% at the 2026 revaluation, compared with +22.9% for industrial property across Yorkshire and The Humber. No sector fell in Bradford: retail property moved least, up 6.6% at the 2026 revaluation, compared with +7.8% for retail property across Yorkshire and The Humber.
Reliefs
In 2025-26, relief in Bradford came to 32.9% 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 Bradford, at 42.7% 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 Bradford compares with the rest of the region: Business rates in Yorkshire and The Humber, State of Business Rates in England 2026 →
Nearby areas
Compare with other councils in Yorkshire and The Humber
Other Yorkshire and The Humber councils with their average rateable value, listed from the closest to Bradford's £19,415.
- Business rates in Kirklees£18,612 average rateable value, £803 lower than Bradford
- Business rates in Barnsley£18,435 average rateable value, £980 lower than Bradford
- Business rates in North Yorkshire£18,240 average rateable value, £1,175 lower than Bradford
- Business rates in Calderdale£17,202 average rateable value, £2,213 lower than Bradford
- Business rates in East Riding of Yorkshire UA£23,947 average rateable value, £4,532 higher than Bradford
- Business rates in Kingston-upon-Hull UA£25,386 average rateable value, £5,971 higher than Bradford
Figures from MHCLG National Non-Domestic Rates statistics (2025-26), ONS UK Business Counts (2025), and English Indices of Deprivation (2025).
Updates for Bradford
By email.