East of England · 2025-26
Business Rates in Southend-on-Sea UA
Businesses in Southend-on-Sea UA paid £41.0m in net business rates during 2025-26, below the average English council's £93.2m.
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Relief granted in Southend-on-Sea UA
Share of £21.9m total relief, 2025-26.
Southend-on-Sea UA at a glance
Southend-on-Sea UA granted £21.9m in relief overall, lower than the national council average of £26.3m. This included £8.7m in Small Business Rate Relief and £3.8m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief.
A further £6.4m went to charity relief and £1.5m to empty property relief, reflecting the mix of ratepayers across the local authority.
Southend-on-Sea UA has an estimated 6,975 active businesses, according to the latest ONS Business Counts (2025).
Southend-on-Sea UA ranks 89 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 Southend-on-Sea UA rose by 7.7% — if this pushed your assessment too high, an appeal may be worth considering.
Frequently asked questions
How much are business rates in Southend-on-Sea UA?
Southend-on-Sea UA's local authority collected £41.0m 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 Southend-on-Sea UA?
Southend-on-Sea UA granted £21.9m in business rates relief in 2025-26, including £8.7m in Small Business Rate Relief, £3.8m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief, £6.4m in charity relief, and £1.5m 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.
Southend-on-Sea UA compared with the East of England and England
- Average rateable value
- £21,697£10,438 below the East of England average (£32,135)£12,293 below the England average (£33,990)
- Largest sector by value
- Other commercial property, 37.1%4.2 percentage points above its 32.9% share in the East of England
- Total rateable value, 2023 to 2026 list
- +13.8%East of England: +18.3%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
Southend-on-Sea UA comes 233rd of 296 English councils on average rateable value (£21,697) and 36th of 45 in the East of England. Retail property makes up the largest share of Southend-on-Sea UA's rateable properties (38.4%), but other commercial property carries the most rateable value (37.1%).
Shops and other retail property account for 38.4% of Southend-on-Sea UA's rateable properties and 33.8% of its value, higher than the 20.6% and 18.7% across the East of England. High-value property is limited in Southend-on-Sea UA: around 20 properties were rated at £500,000 or more at March 2026, rising to around 30 on the 2026 list.
Change at the 2026 revaluation
Only 6 of the 44 other councils in the East of England saw a weaker change in total rateable value at the 2026 revaluation than Southend-on-Sea UA's +13.8%. Industrial property saw the biggest rise in Southend-on-Sea UA: total rateable value up 26.7% between the 2023 and 2026 lists, against +20.2% for industrial property across the East of England. Even the weakest sector in Southend-on-Sea UA, retail property, rose 7.7% in total rateable value at the 2026 revaluation, against +9.8% for retail property across the East of England.
Reliefs
Total relief granted in Southend-on-Sea UA equalled 33.4% 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 Southend-on-Sea UA: 39.7% 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 Southend-on-Sea UA compares with the rest of the region: Business rates in East of England, State of Business Rates in England 2026 →
Nearby areas
Compare with other councils in the East of England
Other East of England councils with their average rateable value, listed from the closest to Southend-on-Sea UA's £21,697.
- Business rates in Breckland£22,366 average rateable value, £669 higher than Southend-on-Sea UA
- Business rates in Broadland£22,799 average rateable value, £1,102 higher than Southend-on-Sea UA
- Business rates in Castle Point£22,902 average rateable value, £1,205 higher than Southend-on-Sea UA
- Business rates in South Norfolk£20,192 average rateable value, £1,505 lower than Southend-on-Sea UA
- Business rates in East Suffolk£20,161 average rateable value, £1,536 lower than Southend-on-Sea UA
- Business rates in Epping Forest£23,858 average rateable value, £2,161 higher than Southend-on-Sea UA
Figures from MHCLG National Non-Domestic Rates statistics (2025-26), ONS UK Business Counts (2025), and English Indices of Deprivation (2025).
Updates for Southend-on-Sea
By email.