North East · 2025-26
Business Rates in Middlesbrough UA
Businesses in Middlesbrough UA paid £35.7m in net business rates during 2025-26, below the average English council's £93.2m.
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Relief granted in Middlesbrough UA
Share of £13.9m total relief, 2025-26.
Middlesbrough UA at a glance
Middlesbrough UA granted £13.9m in relief overall, lower than the national council average of £26.3m. This included £4.6m in Small Business Rate Relief and £1.7m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief.
A further £7.5m went to charity relief and £1.8m to empty property relief, reflecting the mix of ratepayers across the local authority.
Middlesbrough UA has an estimated 3,485 active businesses, according to the latest ONS Business Counts (2025).
Middlesbrough UA ranks 2 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 Middlesbrough UA rose by 23.9% — if this pushed your assessment too high, an appeal may be worth considering.
Frequently asked questions
How much are business rates in Middlesbrough UA?
Middlesbrough UA's local authority collected £35.7m 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 Middlesbrough UA?
Middlesbrough UA granted £13.9m in business rates relief in 2025-26, including £4.6m in Small Business Rate Relief, £1.7m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief, £7.5m in charity relief, and £1.8m 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.
Middlesbrough UA compared with the North East and England
- Average rateable value
- £22,214£2,297 below the North East average (£24,511)£11,776 below the England average (£33,990)
- Largest sector by value
- Other commercial property, 43.1%9.1 percentage points above its 34.0% share in the North East
- Total rateable value, 2023 to 2026 list
- +14.4%North East: +17.8%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 £22,214, Middlesbrough UA's average rateable value ranks 230th of 296 councils in England and 9th of 12 in the North East. The largest group of Middlesbrough UA's rateable properties is retail property (30.2%), yet other commercial property holds the largest share of value (43.1%).
Retail accounts for 30.2% of Middlesbrough UA's rateable properties and 24.2% of its rateable value, compared with 25.6% and 24.3% across the North East. At March 2026, around 20 of Middlesbrough UA's rateable properties had a rateable value of £500,000 or more, rising to around 30 on the 2026 list.
Change at the 2026 revaluation
Middlesbrough UA's +14.4% change in total rateable value at the 2026 revaluation was weaker than in 9 of the 11 other councils in the North East. The sharpest increase in Middlesbrough UA was in industrial property, where total rateable value rose 23.9% at the 2026 revaluation, compared with +24.7% for industrial property across the North East. Retail property had the weakest result in Middlesbrough UA, with total rateable value down 3.8% at the 2026 revaluation, against +3.1% for retail property across the North East.
Reliefs
In 2025-26, relief in Middlesbrough UA came to 25.4% of gross rates payable, above the 21.2% for England as a whole. Charity relief was the largest of the four main reliefs in Middlesbrough UA, at 54.2% 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 Middlesbrough UA compares with the rest of the region: Business rates in North East, State of Business Rates in England 2026 →
Nearby areas
Compare with other councils in the North East
Other North East councils with their average rateable value, listed from the closest to Middlesbrough UA's £22,214.
- Business rates in Darlington UA£22,954 average rateable value, £740 higher than Middlesbrough UA
- Business rates in Durham UA£21,423 average rateable value, £791 lower than Middlesbrough UA
- Business rates in South Tyneside£20,500 average rateable value, £1,714 lower than Middlesbrough UA
- Business rates in Redcar & Cleveland UA£24,238 average rateable value, £2,024 higher than Middlesbrough UA
- Business rates in Northumberland UA£18,066 average rateable value, £4,148 lower than Middlesbrough UA
- Business rates in Sunderland£27,791 average rateable value, £5,577 higher than Middlesbrough UA
Figures from MHCLG National Non-Domestic Rates statistics (2025-26), ONS UK Business Counts (2025), and English Indices of Deprivation (2025).
Updates for Middlesbrough
By email.