South West · 2025-26
Business Rates in Cotswold
Businesses in Cotswold paid £35.9m in net business rates during 2025-26, below the average English council's £93.2m.
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Relief granted in Cotswold
Share of £18.1m total relief, 2025-26.
Cotswold at a glance
Cotswold granted £18.1m in relief overall, lower than the national council average of £26.3m. This included £6.4m in Small Business Rate Relief and £4.7m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief.
A further £2.9m went to charity relief and £1.6m to empty property relief, reflecting the mix of ratepayers across the local authority.
Cotswold has an estimated 6,040 active businesses, according to the latest ONS Business Counts (2025).
Cotswold ranks 249 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 Cotswold rose by 14.8% — if this pushed your assessment too high, an appeal may be worth considering.
Frequently asked questions
How much are business rates in Cotswold?
Cotswold's local authority collected £35.9m 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 Cotswold?
Cotswold granted £18.1m in business rates relief in 2025-26, including £6.4m in Small Business Rate Relief, £4.7m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief, £2.9m in charity relief, and £1.6m 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.
Cotswold compared with the South West and England
- Average rateable value
- £18,839£5,105 below the South West average (£23,944)£15,151 below the England average (£33,990)
- Largest sector by value
- Other commercial property, 37.2%3.2 percentage points above its 34.0% share in the South West
- Total rateable value, 2023 to 2026 list
- +18.5%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
On average rateable value, Cotswold sits 257th among England's 296 councils at £18,839, which is 15th of 27 in the South West. Other commercial property also accounts for the most properties in Cotswold, at 38.5% of its rateable properties.
In Cotswold, retail is 16.7% of rateable properties and 21.7% of rateable value; across the South West the figures are 20.1% and 22.7%. High-value property is limited in Cotswold: around 10 properties were rated at £500,000 or more at March 2026, unchanged at around 10 on the 2026 list.
Change at the 2026 revaluation
Of the 26 other councils in the South West, 19 saw a weaker change in total rateable value at the 2026 revaluation than Cotswold's +18.5% and 7 saw a stronger one. Other commercial property saw the biggest rise in Cotswold: total rateable value up 28.1% between the 2023 and 2026 lists, against +23.0% for other commercial property across the South West. Even the weakest sector in Cotswold, retail property, rose 6.2% in total rateable value at the 2026 revaluation, against +7.7% for retail property across the South West.
Reliefs
Total relief granted in Cotswold equalled 33.5% of gross rates payable in 2025-26, above the 21.2% across English councils taken together. Of the four main reliefs, Small Business Rate Relief accounted for the most in Cotswold: 35.3% of the total, above the England figure of 28.0%.
Source: HM Revenue & Customs, using Valuation Office Agency data, and MHCLG relief returns. Open Government Licence v3.0. Method and rounding: /methodology.
See how Cotswold 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 Cotswold's £18,839.
- Business rates in Torbay UA£18,051 average rateable value, £788 lower than Cotswold
- Business rates in Dorset UA£17,498 average rateable value, £1,341 lower than Cotswold
- Business rates in Teignbridge£17,045 average rateable value, £1,794 lower than Cotswold
- Business rates in East Devon£16,334 average rateable value, £2,505 lower than Cotswold
- Business rates in Somerset£21,868 average rateable value, £3,029 higher than Cotswold
- Business rates in Stroud£23,824 average rateable value, £4,985 higher than Cotswold
Figures from MHCLG National Non-Domestic Rates statistics (2025-26), ONS UK Business Counts (2025), and English Indices of Deprivation (2025).
Updates for Cotswold
By email.