East of England · 2025-26
Business Rates in Central Bedfordshire UA
Businesses in Central Bedfordshire UA paid £125.8m in net business rates during 2025-26, above the average English council's £93.2m.
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Relief granted in Central Bedfordshire UA
Share of £31.7m total relief, 2025-26.
Central Bedfordshire UA at a glance
Central Bedfordshire UA granted £31.7m in relief overall, higher than the national council average of £26.3m. This included £9.2m in Small Business Rate Relief and £4.8m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief.
A further £11.4m went to charity relief and £3.3m to empty property relief, reflecting the mix of ratepayers across the local authority.
Central Bedfordshire UA has an estimated 12,500 active businesses, according to the latest ONS Business Counts (2025).
Central Bedfordshire UA ranks 232 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 Central Bedfordshire UA rose by 16.4% — if this pushed your assessment too high, an appeal may be worth considering.
Frequently asked questions
How much are business rates in Central Bedfordshire UA?
Central Bedfordshire UA's local authority collected £125.8m 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 Central Bedfordshire UA?
Central Bedfordshire UA granted £31.7m in business rates relief in 2025-26, including £9.2m in Small Business Rate Relief, £4.8m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief, £11.4m in charity relief, and £3.3m 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.
Central Bedfordshire UA compared with the East of England and England
- Average rateable value
- £41,853£9,718 above the East of England average (£32,135)£7,863 above the England average (£33,990)
- Largest sector by value
- Industrial property, 55.6%21.0 percentage points above its 34.6% share in the East of England
- Total rateable value, 2023 to 2026 list
- +16.9%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, Central Bedfordshire UA sits 61st among England's 296 councils at £41,853, which is 14th of 45 in the East of England. The same sector leads on numbers too: 34.6% of Central Bedfordshire UA's rateable properties fall in the industrial category.
Retail accounts for 21.1% of Central Bedfordshire UA's rateable properties and 13.2% of its rateable value, compared with 20.6% and 18.7% across the East of England. At March 2026, around 90 of Central Bedfordshire UA's rateable properties had a rateable value of £500,000 or more, rising to 110 on the 2026 list.
Change at the 2026 revaluation
Central Bedfordshire UA's +16.9% change in total rateable value at the 2026 revaluation sits mid-table in the East of England: stronger than in 25 of the 44 other councils and weaker than in 19. The sharpest increase in Central Bedfordshire UA was in other commercial property, where total rateable value rose 23.6% at the 2026 revaluation, compared with +22.9% for other commercial property across the East of England. No sector fell in Central Bedfordshire UA: office property moved least, up 9.5% at the 2026 revaluation, compared with +13.2% for office property across the East of England.
Reliefs
In 2025-26, relief in Central Bedfordshire UA came to 19.0% of gross rates payable, below the 21.2% for England as a whole. Charity relief was the largest of the four main reliefs in Central Bedfordshire UA, at 35.8% 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 Central Bedfordshire UA 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 Central Bedfordshire UA's £41,853.
- Business rates in Basildon£41,477 average rateable value, £376 lower than Central Bedfordshire UA
- Business rates in St Albans£42,831 average rateable value, £978 higher than Central Bedfordshire UA
- Business rates in Dacorum£43,226 average rateable value, £1,373 higher than Central Bedfordshire UA
- Business rates in Peterborough UA£43,352 average rateable value, £1,499 higher than Central Bedfordshire UA
- Business rates in Broxbourne£44,397 average rateable value, £2,544 higher than Central Bedfordshire UA
- Business rates in Bedford UA£37,938 average rateable value, £3,915 lower than Central Bedfordshire UA
Figures from MHCLG National Non-Domestic Rates statistics (2025-26), ONS UK Business Counts (2025), and English Indices of Deprivation (2025).
Updates for Central Bedfordshire
By email.