South East · 2025-26
Business Rates in Medway UA
Businesses in Medway UA paid £106.4m in net business rates during 2025-26, above the average English council's £93.2m.
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Relief granted in Medway UA
Share of £28.2m total relief, 2025-26.
Medway UA at a glance
Medway UA granted £28.2m in relief overall, higher than the national council average of £26.3m. This included £7.7m in Small Business Rate Relief and £4.3m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief.
A further £11.2m went to charity relief and £2.6m to empty property relief, reflecting the mix of ratepayers across the local authority.
Medway UA has an estimated 9,060 active businesses, according to the latest ONS Business Counts (2025).
Medway UA ranks 85 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 Medway UA rose by 17.4% — if this pushed your assessment too high, an appeal may be worth considering.
Frequently asked questions
How much are business rates in Medway UA?
Medway UA's local authority collected £106.4m 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 Medway UA?
Medway UA granted £28.2m in business rates relief in 2025-26, including £7.7m in Small Business Rate Relief, £4.3m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief, £11.2m in charity relief, and £2.6m 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.
Medway UA compared with the South East and England
- Average rateable value
- £38,989£3,693 above the South East average (£35,296)£4,999 above the England average (£33,990)
- Largest sector by value
- Other commercial property, 41.7%9.2 percentage points above its 32.5% share in the South East
- Total rateable value, 2023 to 2026 list
- +21.5%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
Medway UA comes 74th of 296 English councils on average rateable value (£38,989) and 23rd of 64 in the South East. The largest group of Medway UA's rateable properties is industrial property (30.3%), yet other commercial property holds the largest share of value (41.7%).
Retail accounts for 28.1% of Medway UA's rateable properties and 18.7% of its rateable value, compared with 22.5% and 20.7% across the South East. At March 2026, around 60 of Medway UA's rateable properties had a rateable value of £500,000 or more, rising to around 80 on the 2026 list.
Change at the 2026 revaluation
Medway UA's +21.5% change in total rateable value at the 2026 revaluation was stronger than in 55 of the 63 other councils in the South East. The sharpest increase in Medway UA was in other commercial property, where total rateable value rose 29.4% at the 2026 revaluation, compared with +26.7% for other commercial property across the South East. No sector fell in Medway UA: retail property moved least, up 13.4% at the 2026 revaluation, compared with +10.8% for retail property across the South East.
Reliefs
In 2025-26, relief in Medway UA came to 20.5% of gross rates payable, close to the 21.2% for England as a whole. Charity relief was the largest of the four main reliefs in Medway UA, at 39.8% 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 Medway UA 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 Medway UA's £38,989.
- Business rates in Southampton UA£39,189 average rateable value, £200 higher than Medway UA
- Business rates in West Berkshire UA£39,520 average rateable value, £531 higher than Medway UA
- Business rates in Reigate & Banstead£37,710 average rateable value, £1,279 lower than Medway UA
- Business rates in Elmbridge£41,032 average rateable value, £2,043 higher than Medway UA
- Business rates in Windsor & Maidenhead UA£41,709 average rateable value, £2,720 higher than Medway UA
- Business rates in Epsom & Ewell£35,956 average rateable value, £3,033 lower than Medway UA
Figures from MHCLG National Non-Domestic Rates statistics (2025-26), ONS UK Business Counts (2025), and English Indices of Deprivation (2025).
Updates for Medway
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