South East · 2025-26
Business Rates in Mid Sussex
Businesses in Mid Sussex paid £57.9m in net business rates during 2025-26, below the average English council's £93.2m.
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Relief granted in Mid Sussex
Share of £17.6m total relief, 2025-26.
Mid Sussex at a glance
Mid Sussex granted £17.6m in relief overall, lower than the national council average of £26.3m. This included £5.2m in Small Business Rate Relief and £2.9m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief.
A further £4.2m went to charity relief and £2.8m to empty property relief, reflecting the mix of ratepayers across the local authority.
Mid Sussex has an estimated 7,180 active businesses, according to the latest ONS Business Counts (2025).
Mid Sussex ranks 286 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 Mid Sussex rose by 13.8% — if this pushed your assessment too high, an appeal may be worth considering.
Frequently asked questions
How much are business rates in Mid Sussex?
Mid Sussex's local authority collected £57.9m 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 Mid Sussex?
Mid Sussex granted £17.6m in business rates relief in 2025-26, including £5.2m in Small Business Rate Relief, £2.9m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief, £4.2m in charity relief, and £2.8m 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.
Mid Sussex compared with the South East and England
- Average rateable value
- £31,553£3,743 below the South East average (£35,296)£2,437 below the England average (£33,990)
- Largest sector by value
- Industrial property, 37.5%7.5 percentage points above its 30.0% share in the South East
- Total rateable value, 2023 to 2026 list
- +15.3%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 £31,553, Mid Sussex's average rateable value ranks 123rd of 296 councils in England and 37th of 64 in the South East. The largest group of Mid Sussex's rateable properties is other commercial property (30.3%), yet industrial property holds the largest share of value (37.5%).
Retail accounts for 22.0% of Mid Sussex's rateable properties and 18.6% of its rateable value, compared with 22.5% and 20.7% across the South East. At March 2026, around 40 of Mid Sussex's rateable properties had a rateable value of £500,000 or more, unchanged at around 40 on the 2026 list.
Change at the 2026 revaluation
Mid Sussex's +15.3% change in total rateable value at the 2026 revaluation sits mid-table in the South East: stronger than in 18 of the 63 other councils and weaker than in 45. The sharpest increase in Mid Sussex was in other commercial property, where total rateable value rose 20.0% at the 2026 revaluation, compared with +26.7% for other commercial property across the South East. No sector fell in Mid Sussex: retail property moved least, up 11.0% at the 2026 revaluation, in line with the +10.8% across the South East.
Reliefs
In 2025-26, relief in Mid Sussex came to 22.2% 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 Mid Sussex, at 29.8% of total relief, close to 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 Mid Sussex 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 Mid Sussex's £31,553.
- Business rates in Maidstone£31,473 average rateable value, £80 lower than Mid Sussex
- Business rates in Surrey Heath£31,808 average rateable value, £255 higher than Mid Sussex
- Business rates in Winchester£32,555 average rateable value, £1,002 higher than Mid Sussex
- Business rates in Gravesham£32,572 average rateable value, £1,019 higher than Mid Sussex
- Business rates in Dover£30,442 average rateable value, £1,111 lower than Mid Sussex
- Business rates in South Oxfordshire£30,275 average rateable value, £1,278 lower than Mid Sussex
Figures from MHCLG National Non-Domestic Rates statistics (2025-26), ONS UK Business Counts (2025), and English Indices of Deprivation (2025).
Updates for Mid Sussex
By email.