South East · 2025-26
Business Rates in Chichester
Businesses in Chichester paid £45.8m in net business rates during 2025-26, below the average English council's £93.2m.
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Relief granted in Chichester
Share of £20.4m total relief, 2025-26.
Chichester at a glance
Chichester granted £20.4m in relief overall, lower than the national council average of £26.3m. This included £6.7m in Small Business Rate Relief and £4.3m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief.
A further £5.1m went to charity relief and £2.7m to empty property relief, reflecting the mix of ratepayers across the local authority.
Chichester has an estimated 6,820 active businesses, according to the latest ONS Business Counts (2025).
Chichester ranks 191 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 Chichester rose by 16.1% — if this pushed your assessment too high, an appeal may be worth considering.
Frequently asked questions
How much are business rates in Chichester?
Chichester's local authority collected £45.8m 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 Chichester?
Chichester granted £20.4m in business rates relief in 2025-26, including £6.7m in Small Business Rate Relief, £4.3m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief, £5.1m in charity relief, and £2.7m 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.
Chichester compared with the South East and England
- Average rateable value
- £24,023£11,273 below the South East average (£35,296)£9,967 below the England average (£33,990)
- Largest sector by value
- Other commercial property, 38.1%5.6 percentage points above its 32.5% share in the South East
- Total rateable value, 2023 to 2026 list
- +13.6%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
At £24,023, Chichester's average rateable value ranks 203rd of 296 councils in England and 51st of 64 in the South East. The same sector leads on numbers too: 35.2% of Chichester's rateable properties fall in the other commercial category.
Retail accounts for 18.5% of Chichester's rateable properties and 24.1% of its rateable value, compared with 22.5% and 20.7% across the South East. At March 2026, around 30 of Chichester's rateable properties had a rateable value of £500,000 or more, unchanged at around 30 on the 2026 list.
Change at the 2026 revaluation
Chichester's +13.6% change in total rateable value at the 2026 revaluation was weaker than in 52 of the 63 other councils in the South East. The sharpest increase in Chichester was in other commercial property, where total rateable value rose 18.9% at the 2026 revaluation, compared with +26.7% for other commercial property across the South East. No sector fell in Chichester: retail property moved least, up 2.5% at the 2026 revaluation, compared with +10.8% for retail property across the South East.
Reliefs
In 2025-26, relief in Chichester came to 28.4% 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 Chichester, at 33.0% 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 Chichester 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 Chichester's £24,023.
- Business rates in Canterbury£23,956 average rateable value, £67 lower than Chichester
- Business rates in Gosport£24,369 average rateable value, £346 higher than Chichester
- Business rates in Worthing£23,530 average rateable value, £493 lower than Chichester
- Business rates in East Hampshire£23,463 average rateable value, £560 lower than Chichester
- Business rates in Sevenoaks£25,287 average rateable value, £1,264 higher than Chichester
- Business rates in Tandridge£22,256 average rateable value, £1,767 lower than Chichester
Figures from MHCLG National Non-Domestic Rates statistics (2025-26), ONS UK Business Counts (2025), and English Indices of Deprivation (2025).
Updates for Chichester
By email.