North West · 2025-26
Business Rates in Preston
Businesses in Preston paid £53.5m in net business rates during 2025-26, below the average English council's £93.2m.
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Relief granted in Preston
Share of £22.0m total relief, 2025-26.
Preston at a glance
Preston granted £22.0m in relief overall, lower than the national council average of £26.3m. This included £6.8m in Small Business Rate Relief and £3.7m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief.
A further £7.6m went to charity relief and £3.2m to empty property relief, reflecting the mix of ratepayers across the local authority.
Preston has an estimated 5,830 active businesses, according to the latest ONS Business Counts (2025).
Preston ranks 50 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 retail property in Preston rose by 5.7% — if this pushed your assessment too high, an appeal may be worth considering.
Frequently asked questions
How much are business rates in Preston?
Preston's local authority collected £53.5m 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 Preston?
Preston granted £22.0m in business rates relief in 2025-26, including £6.8m in Small Business Rate Relief, £3.7m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief, £7.6m in charity relief, and £3.2m 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.
Preston compared with the North West and England
- Average rateable value
- £23,466£1,863 below the North West average (£25,329)£10,524 below the England average (£33,990)
- Largest sector by value
- Other commercial property, 34.4%in line with its 32.5% share in the North West
- Total rateable value, 2023 to 2026 list
- +14.4%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
On average rateable value, Preston sits 210th among England's 296 councils at £23,466, which is 14th of 35 in the North West. Industrial property makes up the largest share of Preston's rateable properties (33.2%), but other commercial property carries the most rateable value (34.4%).
In Preston, retail is 25.8% of rateable properties and 27.8% of rateable value; across the North West the figures are 25.1% and 22.4%. High-value property is limited in Preston: around 30 properties were rated at £500,000 or more at March 2026, unchanged at around 30 on the 2026 list.
Change at the 2026 revaluation
Only 1 of the 34 other councils in the North West saw a weaker change in total rateable value at the 2026 revaluation than Preston's +14.4%. Industrial property saw the biggest rise in Preston: total rateable value up 18.2% between the 2023 and 2026 lists, against +24.7% for industrial property across the North West. Even the weakest sector in Preston, retail property, rose 5.7% in total rateable value at the 2026 revaluation, in line with the +6.2% across the North West.
Reliefs
Total relief granted in Preston equalled 27.4% of gross rates payable in 2025-26, above the 21.2% across English councils taken together. Of the four main reliefs, charity relief accounted for the most in Preston: 34.7% of the total, above the England figure of 29.7%.
Source: HM Revenue & Customs, using Valuation Office Agency data, and MHCLG relief returns. Open Government Licence v3.0. Method and rounding: /methodology.
See how Preston 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 Preston's £23,466.
- Business rates in Sefton£23,159 average rateable value, £307 lower than Preston
- Business rates in Wirral£22,714 average rateable value, £752 lower than Preston
- Business rates in Bolton£22,688 average rateable value, £778 lower than Preston
- Business rates in Salford£24,727 average rateable value, £1,261 higher than Preston
- Business rates in Cheshire East UA£25,164 average rateable value, £1,698 higher than Preston
- Business rates in West Lancashire£26,660 average rateable value, £3,194 higher than Preston
Figures from MHCLG National Non-Domestic Rates statistics (2025-26), ONS UK Business Counts (2025), and English Indices of Deprivation (2025).
Updates for Preston
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