West Midlands · 2025-26
Business Rates in Stafford
Businesses in Stafford paid £57.2m in net business rates during 2025-26, below the average English council's £93.2m.
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Relief granted in Stafford
Share of £14.4m total relief, 2025-26.
Stafford at a glance
Stafford granted £14.4m in relief overall, lower than the national council average of £26.3m. This included £5.3m in Small Business Rate Relief and £2.4m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief.
A further £3.5m went to charity relief and £1.8m to empty property relief, reflecting the mix of ratepayers across the local authority.
Stafford has an estimated 5,370 active businesses, according to the latest ONS Business Counts (2025).
Stafford ranks 218 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 Stafford rose by 14.3% — if this pushed your assessment too high, an appeal may be worth considering.
Frequently asked questions
How much are business rates in Stafford?
Stafford's local authority collected £57.2m 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 Stafford?
Stafford granted £14.4m in business rates relief in 2025-26, including £5.3m in Small Business Rate Relief, £2.4m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief, £3.5m in charity relief, and £1.8m 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.
Stafford compared with the West Midlands and England
- Average rateable value
- £30,506£2,284 above the West Midlands average (£28,222)£3,484 below the England average (£33,990)
- Largest sector by value
- Industrial property, 41.0%in line with its 39.7% share in the West Midlands
- Total rateable value, 2023 to 2026 list
- +13.1%West Midlands: +17.4%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, Stafford sits 130th among England's 296 councils at £30,506, which is 13th of 30 in the West Midlands. Industrial property also accounts for the most properties in Stafford, at 29.9% of its rateable properties.
In Stafford, retail is 22.8% of rateable properties and 19.2% of rateable value; across the West Midlands the figures are 24.2% and 20.1%. High-value property is limited in Stafford: around 40 properties were rated at £500,000 or more at March 2026, unchanged at around 40 on the 2026 list.
Change at the 2026 revaluation
Only 2 of the 29 other councils in the West Midlands saw a weaker change in total rateable value at the 2026 revaluation than Stafford's +13.1%. Other commercial property saw the biggest rise in Stafford: total rateable value up 19.3% between the 2023 and 2026 lists, against +20.4% for other commercial property across the West Midlands. Even the weakest sector in Stafford, office property, rose 2.1% in total rateable value at the 2026 revaluation, against +12.4% for office property across the West Midlands.
Reliefs
Total relief granted in Stafford equalled 19.4% 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 Stafford: 37.1% 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 Stafford compares with the rest of the region: Business rates in West Midlands, State of Business Rates in England 2026 →
Nearby areas
Compare with other councils in the West Midlands
Other West Midlands councils with their average rateable value, listed from the closest to Stafford's £30,506.
- Business rates in South Staffordshire£30,225 average rateable value, £281 lower than Stafford
- Business rates in Nuneaton & Bedworth£31,763 average rateable value, £1,257 higher than Stafford
- Business rates in Sandwell£28,129 average rateable value, £2,377 lower than Stafford
- Business rates in Lichfield£32,927 average rateable value, £2,421 higher than Stafford
- Business rates in Newcastle-under-Lyme£27,855 average rateable value, £2,651 lower than Stafford
- Business rates in Worcester£33,921 average rateable value, £3,415 higher than Stafford
Figures from MHCLG National Non-Domestic Rates statistics (2025-26), ONS UK Business Counts (2025), and English Indices of Deprivation (2025).
Updates for Stafford
By email.