South West · 2025-26
Business Rates in Bristol UA
Businesses in Bristol UA paid £225.2m in net business rates during 2025-26, above the average English council's £93.2m.
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Relief granted in Bristol UA
Share of £62.4m total relief, 2025-26.
Bristol UA at a glance
Bristol UA granted £62.4m in relief overall, higher than the national council average of £26.3m. This included £15.4m in Small Business Rate Relief and £9.3m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief.
A further £24.7m went to charity relief and £11.1m to empty property relief, reflecting the mix of ratepayers across the local authority.
Bristol UA has an estimated 18,005 active businesses, according to the latest ONS Business Counts (2025).
Bristol UA ranks 110 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 Bristol UA rose by 37.1% — if this pushed your assessment too high, an appeal may be worth considering.
Frequently asked questions
How much are business rates in Bristol UA?
Bristol UA's local authority collected £225.2m 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 Bristol UA?
Bristol UA granted £62.4m in business rates relief in 2025-26, including £15.4m in Small Business Rate Relief, £9.3m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief, £24.7m in charity relief, and £11.1m 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.
Bristol UA compared with the South West and England
- Average rateable value
- £36,157£12,213 above the South West average (£23,944)£2,167 above the England average (£33,990)
- Largest sector by value
- Other commercial property, 28.7%5.3 percentage points below its 34.0% share in the South West
- Total rateable value, 2023 to 2026 list
- +26.8%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
Bristol UA comes 89th of 296 English councils on average rateable value (£36,157) and 5th of 27 in the South West. The largest group of Bristol UA's rateable properties is retail property (27.0%), yet other commercial property holds the largest share of value (28.7%).
Retail accounts for 27.0% of Bristol UA's rateable properties and 18.3% of its rateable value, compared with 20.1% and 22.7% across the South West. At March 2026, Bristol UA had 130 properties with a rateable value of £500,000 or more, 0.8% of England's 16,900, and 190 on the 2026 list.
Change at the 2026 revaluation
Bristol UA's +26.8% change in total rateable value at the 2026 revaluation was stronger than in 25 of the 26 other councils in the South West. The sharpest increase in Bristol UA was in office property, where total rateable value rose 37.1% at the 2026 revaluation, compared with +18.7% for office property across the South West. No sector fell in Bristol UA: retail property moved least, up 15.0% at the 2026 revaluation, compared with +7.7% for retail property across the South West.
Reliefs
In 2025-26, relief in Bristol UA came to 19.4% of gross rates payable, below the 21.2% for England as a whole. Charity relief was the largest of the four main reliefs in Bristol UA, at 39.6% of total relief, above 29.7% 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 Bristol 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 Bristol UA's £36,157.
- Business rates in Cheltenham£36,766 average rateable value, £609 higher than Bristol UA
- Business rates in Tewkesbury£34,265 average rateable value, £1,892 lower than Bristol UA
- Business rates in Exeter£38,259 average rateable value, £2,102 higher than Bristol UA
- Business rates in Gloucester£34,033 average rateable value, £2,124 lower than Bristol UA
- Business rates in Swindon UA£49,560 average rateable value, £13,403 higher than Bristol UA
- Business rates in South Gloucestershire UA£50,084 average rateable value, £13,927 higher than Bristol UA
Figures from MHCLG National Non-Domestic Rates statistics (2025-26), ONS UK Business Counts (2025), and English Indices of Deprivation (2025).
Updates for Bristol
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