North West · 2025-26
Business Rates in Cheshire East UA
Businesses in Cheshire East UA paid £154.6m in net business rates during 2025-26, above the average English council's £93.2m.
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Relief granted in Cheshire East UA
Share of £46.2m total relief, 2025-26.
Cheshire East UA at a glance
Cheshire East UA granted £46.2m in relief overall, higher than the national council average of £26.3m. This included £17.7m in Small Business Rate Relief and £7.1m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief.
A further £11.0m went to charity relief and £6.9m to empty property relief, reflecting the mix of ratepayers across the local authority.
Cheshire East UA has an estimated 19,460 active businesses, according to the latest ONS Business Counts (2025).
Cheshire East UA ranks 212 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 Cheshire East UA rose by 18.9% — if this pushed your assessment too high, an appeal may be worth considering.
Frequently asked questions
How much are business rates in Cheshire East UA?
Cheshire East UA's local authority collected £154.6m 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 Cheshire East UA?
Cheshire East UA granted £46.2m in business rates relief in 2025-26, including £17.7m in Small Business Rate Relief, £7.1m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief, £11.0m in charity relief, and £6.9m 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.
Cheshire East UA compared with the North West and England
- Average rateable value
- £25,164£165 below the North West average (£25,329)£8,826 below the England average (£33,990)
- Largest sector by value
- Industrial property, 34.1%3.9 percentage points above its 30.2% share in the North West
- Total rateable value, 2023 to 2026 list
- +15.9%North West: +19.3%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, Cheshire East UA sits 188th among England's 296 councils at £25,164, which is 12th of 35 in the North West. The largest group of Cheshire East UA's rateable properties is other commercial property (31.2%), yet industrial property holds the largest share of value (34.1%).
Retail accounts for 21.5% of Cheshire East UA's rateable properties and 21.9% of its rateable value, compared with 25.1% and 22.4% across the North West. At March 2026, around 80 of Cheshire East UA's rateable properties had a rateable value of £500,000 or more, rising to around 90 on the 2026 list.
Change at the 2026 revaluation
Cheshire East UA's +15.9% change in total rateable value at the 2026 revaluation was weaker than in 26 of the 34 other councils in the North West. The sharpest increase in Cheshire East UA was in other commercial property, where total rateable value rose 20.1% at the 2026 revaluation, compared with +25.6% for other commercial property across the North West. No sector fell in Cheshire East UA: retail property moved least, up 4.8% at the 2026 revaluation, compared with +6.2% for retail property across the North West.
Reliefs
In 2025-26, relief in Cheshire East UA came to 22.0% of gross rates payable, close to the 21.2% for England as a whole. Small Business Rate Relief was the largest of the four main reliefs in Cheshire East UA, at 38.2% 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 Cheshire East UA compares with the rest of the region: Business rates in North West, State of Business Rates in England 2026 →
Nearby areas
Compare with other councils in the North West
Other North West councils with their average rateable value, listed from the closest to Cheshire East UA's £25,164.
- Business rates in Salford£24,727 average rateable value, £437 lower than Cheshire East UA
- Business rates in West Lancashire£26,660 average rateable value, £1,496 higher than Cheshire East UA
- Business rates in Preston£23,466 average rateable value, £1,698 lower than Cheshire East UA
- Business rates in Sefton£23,159 average rateable value, £2,005 lower than Cheshire East UA
- Business rates in Liverpool£27,663 average rateable value, £2,499 higher than Cheshire East UA
- Business rates in Cumberland£22,613 average rateable value, £2,551 lower than Cheshire East UA
Figures from MHCLG National Non-Domestic Rates statistics (2025-26), ONS UK Business Counts (2025), and English Indices of Deprivation (2025).
Updates for Cheshire East
By email.