East Midlands · 2025-26
Business Rates in Harborough
Businesses in Harborough paid £66.2m in net business rates during 2025-26, below the average English council's £93.2m.
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Relief granted in Harborough
Share of £10.0m total relief, 2025-26.
Harborough at a glance
Harborough granted £10.0m in relief overall, lower than the national council average of £26.3m. This included £4.3m in Small Business Rate Relief and £1.6m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief.
A further £2.3m went to charity relief and £1.3m to empty property relief, reflecting the mix of ratepayers across the local authority.
Harborough has an estimated 5,405 active businesses, according to the latest ONS Business Counts (2025).
Harborough ranks 284 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 Harborough rose by 24.1% — if this pushed your assessment too high, an appeal may be worth considering.
Frequently asked questions
How much are business rates in Harborough?
Harborough's local authority collected £66.2m 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 Harborough?
Harborough granted £10.0m in business rates relief in 2025-26, including £4.3m in Small Business Rate Relief, £1.6m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief, £2.3m in charity relief, and £1.3m 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.
Harborough compared with the East Midlands and England
- Average rateable value
- £42,291£13,689 above the East Midlands average (£28,602)£8,301 above the England average (£33,990)
- Largest sector by value
- Industrial property, 67.7%23.5 percentage points above its 44.2% share in the East Midlands
- Total rateable value, 2023 to 2026 list
- +19.8%East Midlands: +16.4%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 £42,291, Harborough's average rateable value ranks 59th of 296 councils in England and 4th of 35 in the East Midlands. Other commercial property makes up the largest share of Harborough's rateable properties (30.5%), but industrial property carries the most rateable value (67.7%).
Shops and other retail property account for 17.8% of Harborough's rateable properties and 9.4% of its value, lower than the 23.3% and 18.5% across the East Midlands. High-value property is limited in Harborough: around 50 properties were rated at £500,000 or more at March 2026, unchanged at around 50 on the 2026 list.
Change at the 2026 revaluation
Only 5 of the 34 other councils in the East Midlands saw a stronger change in total rateable value at the 2026 revaluation than Harborough's +19.8%. Industrial property saw the biggest rise in Harborough: total rateable value up 24.1% between the 2023 and 2026 lists, against +18.8% for industrial property across the East Midlands. Even the weakest sector in Harborough, office property, rose 1.7% in total rateable value at the 2026 revaluation, against +5.9% for office property across the East Midlands.
Reliefs
Total relief granted in Harborough equalled 13.0% of gross rates payable in 2025-26, below the 21.2% across English councils taken together. Of the four main reliefs, Small Business Rate Relief accounted for the most in Harborough: 43.2% 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 Harborough compares with the rest of the region: Business rates in East Midlands, State of Business Rates in England 2026 →
Nearby areas
Compare with other councils in the East Midlands
Other East Midlands councils with their average rateable value, listed from the closest to Harborough's £42,291.
- Business rates in West Northamptonshire£43,209 average rateable value, £918 higher than Harborough
- Business rates in Blaby£47,927 average rateable value, £5,636 higher than Harborough
- Business rates in North Northamptonshire£34,708 average rateable value, £7,583 lower than Harborough
- Business rates in Hinckley & Bosworth£32,845 average rateable value, £9,446 lower than Harborough
- Business rates in Bolsover£31,693 average rateable value, £10,598 lower than Harborough
- Business rates in North West Leicestershire£66,189 average rateable value, £23,898 higher than Harborough
Figures from MHCLG National Non-Domestic Rates statistics (2025-26), ONS UK Business Counts (2025), and English Indices of Deprivation (2025).
Updates for Harborough
By email.