London · 2025-26
Business Rates in Southwark
Businesses in Southwark paid £361.2m in net business rates during 2025-26, above the average English council's £93.2m.
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Relief granted in Southwark
Share of £89.7m total relief, 2025-26.
Southwark at a glance
Southwark granted £89.7m in relief overall, higher than the national council average of £26.3m. This included £9.9m in Small Business Rate Relief and £13.0m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief.
A further £38.2m went to charity relief and £19.0m to empty property relief, reflecting the mix of ratepayers across the local authority.
Southwark has an estimated 15,845 active businesses, according to the latest ONS Business Counts (2025).
Southwark ranks 102 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 office property in Southwark rose by 9.8% — if this pushed your assessment too high, an appeal may be worth considering.
Frequently asked questions
How much are business rates in Southwark?
Southwark's local authority collected £361.2m 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 Southwark?
Southwark granted £89.7m in business rates relief in 2025-26, including £9.9m in Small Business Rate Relief, £13.0m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief, £38.2m in charity relief, and £19.0m 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.
Southwark compared with London and England
- Average rateable value
- £63,624£1,297 below the London average (£64,921)£29,634 above the England average (£33,990)
- Largest sector by value
- Office property, 56.3%10.9 percentage points above its 45.4% share in London
- Total rateable value, 2023 to 2026 list
- +17.2%London: +22.5%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
Southwark ranks 13th of 296 English councils for average rateable value, at £63,624, and 6th of 33 in London. The same sector leads on numbers too: 38.5% of Southwark's rateable properties fall in the office category.
Retail makes up 24.0% of Southwark's rateable properties and 11.2% of its rateable value, both below the 28.9% and 19.7% across London. At March 2026, Southwark had 260 properties with a rateable value of £500,000 or more, 5th most of any English council and 1.5% of England's 16,900, and 290 on the 2026 list.
Change at the 2026 revaluation
Southwark's +17.2% change in total rateable value at the 2026 revaluation sits mid-table in London: stronger than in 15 of the 32 other councils and weaker than in 17. The sharpest increase in Southwark was in other commercial property, where total rateable value rose 36.0% at the 2026 revaluation, compared with +44.5% for other commercial property across London. No sector fell in Southwark: office property moved least, up 9.8% at the 2026 revaluation, compared with +14.4% for office property across London.
Reliefs
In 2025-26, relief in Southwark came to 20.3% of gross rates payable, close to the 21.2% for England as a whole. Charity relief was the largest of the four main reliefs in Southwark, at 42.5% 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 Southwark compares with the rest of the region: Business rates in London, State of Business Rates in England 2026 →
Nearby areas
Compare with other councils in London
Other London councils with their average rateable value, listed from the closest to Southwark's £63,624.
- Business rates in Hammersmith & Fulham£56,779 average rateable value, £6,845 lower than Southwark
- Business rates in Kensington & Chelsea£76,321 average rateable value, £12,697 higher than Southwark
- Business rates in Camden£83,768 average rateable value, £20,144 higher than Southwark
- Business rates in Hillingdon£94,914 average rateable value, £31,290 higher than Southwark
- Business rates in Westminster£130,876 average rateable value, £67,252 higher than Southwark
- Business rates in City of London£151,053 average rateable value, £87,429 higher than Southwark
Figures from MHCLG National Non-Domestic Rates statistics (2025-26), ONS UK Business Counts (2025), and English Indices of Deprivation (2025).
Updates for Southwark
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