North West · 2025-26
Business Rates in Oldham
Businesses in Oldham paid £56.3m in net business rates during 2025-26, below the average English council's £93.2m.
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Relief granted in Oldham
Share of £26.0m total relief, 2025-26.
Oldham at a glance
Oldham granted £26.0m in relief overall, lower than the national council average of £26.3m. This included £11.6m in Small Business Rate Relief and £2.8m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief.
A further £8.6m went to charity relief and £1.6m to empty property relief, reflecting the mix of ratepayers across the local authority.
Oldham has an estimated 7,515 active businesses, according to the latest ONS Business Counts (2025).
Oldham ranks 11 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 Oldham rose by 29.9% — if this pushed your assessment too high, an appeal may be worth considering.
Frequently asked questions
How much are business rates in Oldham?
Oldham's local authority collected £56.3m 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 Oldham?
Oldham granted £26.0m in business rates relief in 2025-26, including £11.6m in Small Business Rate Relief, £2.8m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief, £8.6m 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.
Oldham compared with the North West and England
- Average rateable value
- £20,590£4,739 below the North West average (£25,329)£13,400 below the England average (£33,990)
- Largest sector by value
- Industrial property, 35.5%5.3 percentage points above its 30.2% share in the North West
- Total rateable value, 2023 to 2026 list
- +18.6%North West: +19.3%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
Oldham comes 241st of 296 English councils on average rateable value (£20,590) and 25th of 35 in the North West. Industrial property also accounts for the most properties in Oldham, at 34.5% of its rateable properties.
Shops and other retail property account for 26.7% of Oldham's rateable properties and 23.4% of its value, higher than the 25.1% and 22.4% across the North West. High-value property is limited in Oldham: around 40 properties were rated at £500,000 or more at March 2026, rising to around 50 on the 2026 list.
Change at the 2026 revaluation
Of the 34 other councils in the North West, 22 saw a weaker change in total rateable value at the 2026 revaluation than Oldham's +18.6% and 12 saw a stronger one. Industrial property saw the biggest rise in Oldham: total rateable value up 29.9% between the 2023 and 2026 lists, against +24.7% for industrial property across the North West. Even the weakest sector in Oldham, office property, rose 4.4% in total rateable value at the 2026 revaluation, against +14.6% for office property across the North West.
Reliefs
Total relief granted in Oldham equalled 29.5% 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 Oldham: 44.8% 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 Oldham compares with the rest of the region: Business rates in North West, State of Business Rates in England 2026 →
Nearby areas
Compare with other councils in the North West
Other North West councils with their average rateable value, listed from the closest to Oldham's £20,590.
- Business rates in Chorley£20,767 average rateable value, £177 higher than Oldham
- Business rates in Tameside£20,292 average rateable value, £298 lower than Oldham
- Business rates in Stockport£21,221 average rateable value, £631 higher than Oldham
- Business rates in Bury£21,451 average rateable value, £861 higher than Oldham
- Business rates in Hyndburn£19,502 average rateable value, £1,088 lower than Oldham
- Business rates in Rochdale£22,068 average rateable value, £1,478 higher than Oldham
Figures from MHCLG National Non-Domestic Rates statistics (2025-26), ONS UK Business Counts (2025), and English Indices of Deprivation (2025).
Updates for Oldham
By email.