North West · 2025-26
Business Rates in St Helens
Businesses in St Helens paid £65.0m in net business rates during 2025-26, below the average English council's £93.2m.
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Relief granted in St Helens
Share of £16.5m total relief, 2025-26.
St Helens at a glance
St Helens granted £16.5m in relief overall, lower than the national council average of £26.3m. This included £5.8m in Small Business Rate Relief and £2.0m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief.
A further £4.5m went to charity relief and £2.3m to empty property relief, reflecting the mix of ratepayers across the local authority.
St Helens has an estimated 4,590 active businesses, according to the latest ONS Business Counts (2025).
St Helens ranks 46 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 St Helens rose by 25.8% — if this pushed your assessment too high, an appeal may be worth considering.
Frequently asked questions
How much are business rates in St Helens?
St Helens's local authority collected £65.0m 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 St Helens?
St Helens granted £16.5m in business rates relief in 2025-26, including £5.8m in Small Business Rate Relief, £2.0m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief, £4.5m in charity relief, and £2.3m 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.
St Helens compared with the North West and England
- Average rateable value
- £31,876£6,547 above the North West average (£25,329)£2,114 below the England average (£33,990)
- Largest sector by value
- Industrial property, 50.9%20.7 percentage points above its 30.2% share in the North West
- Total rateable value, 2023 to 2026 list
- +18.7%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, St Helens sits 117th among England's 296 councils at £31,876, which is 7th of 35 in the North West. Retail property makes up the largest share of St Helens's rateable properties (32.5%), but industrial property carries the most rateable value (50.9%).
In St Helens, retail is 32.5% of rateable properties and 19.5% of rateable value; across the North West the figures are 25.1% and 22.4%. High-value property is limited in St Helens: around 30 properties were rated at £500,000 or more at March 2026, rising to around 40 on the 2026 list.
Change at the 2026 revaluation
Of the 34 other councils in the North West, 23 saw a weaker change in total rateable value at the 2026 revaluation than St Helens's +18.7% and 10 saw a stronger one. Industrial property saw the biggest rise in St Helens: total rateable value up 25.8% between the 2023 and 2026 lists, against +24.7% for industrial property across the North West. Even the weakest sector in St Helens, retail property, rose 6.9% in total rateable value at the 2026 revaluation, against +6.2% for retail property across the North West.
Reliefs
Total relief granted in St Helens equalled 20.0% of gross rates payable in 2025-26, below the 21.2% across English councils taken together. Of the four main reliefs, Small Business Rate Relief accounted for the most in St Helens: 34.9% 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 St Helens 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 St Helens's £31,876.
- Business rates in Lancaster£31,654 average rateable value, £222 lower than St Helens
- Business rates in South Ribble£31,474 average rateable value, £402 lower than St Helens
- Business rates in Trafford£32,698 average rateable value, £822 higher than St Helens
- Business rates in Cheshire West and Chester UA£32,859 average rateable value, £983 higher than St Helens
- Business rates in Liverpool£27,663 average rateable value, £4,213 lower than St Helens
- Business rates in Manchester£36,591 average rateable value, £4,715 higher than St Helens
Figures from MHCLG National Non-Domestic Rates statistics (2025-26), ONS UK Business Counts (2025), and English Indices of Deprivation (2025).
Updates for St Helens
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