West Midlands · 2025-26
Business Rates in Stratford-on-Avon
Businesses in Stratford-on-Avon paid £62.5m in net business rates during 2025-26, below the average English council's £93.2m.
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Relief granted in Stratford-on-Avon
Share of £21.3m total relief, 2025-26.
Stratford-on-Avon at a glance
Stratford-on-Avon granted £21.3m in relief overall, lower than the national council average of £26.3m. This included £6.8m in Small Business Rate Relief and £4.3m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief.
A further £5.4m went to charity relief and £2.5m to empty property relief, reflecting the mix of ratepayers across the local authority.
Stratford-on-Avon has an estimated 8,135 active businesses, according to the latest ONS Business Counts (2025).
Stratford-on-Avon ranks 253 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 Stratford-on-Avon rose by 14.7% — if this pushed your assessment too high, an appeal may be worth considering.
Frequently asked questions
How much are business rates in Stratford-on-Avon?
Stratford-on-Avon's local authority collected £62.5m 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 Stratford-on-Avon?
Stratford-on-Avon granted £21.3m in business rates relief in 2025-26, including £6.8m in Small Business Rate Relief, £4.3m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief, £5.4m in charity relief, and £2.5m 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.
Stratford-on-Avon compared with the West Midlands and England
- Average rateable value
- £26,708£1,514 below the West Midlands average (£28,222)£7,282 below the England average (£33,990)
- Largest sector by value
- Industrial property, 40.4%in line with its 39.7% share in the West Midlands
- Total rateable value, 2023 to 2026 list
- +15.8%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, Stratford-on-Avon sits 170th among England's 296 councils at £26,708, which is 17th of 30 in the West Midlands. The largest group of Stratford-on-Avon's rateable properties is other commercial property (36.9%), yet industrial property holds the largest share of value (40.4%).
Retail makes up 15.9% of Stratford-on-Avon's rateable properties and 16.9% of its rateable value, both below the 24.2% and 20.1% across the West Midlands. At March 2026, around 30 of Stratford-on-Avon's rateable properties had a rateable value of £500,000 or more, rising to around 40 on the 2026 list.
Change at the 2026 revaluation
Stratford-on-Avon's +15.8% change in total rateable value at the 2026 revaluation sits mid-table in the West Midlands: stronger than in 8 of the 29 other councils and weaker than in 21. The sharpest increase in Stratford-on-Avon was in other commercial property, where total rateable value rose 20.3% at the 2026 revaluation, in line with the +20.4% across the West Midlands. No sector fell in Stratford-on-Avon: retail property moved least, up 8.9% at the 2026 revaluation, compared with +9.7% for retail property across the West Midlands.
Reliefs
In 2025-26, relief in Stratford-on-Avon came to 24.5% of gross rates payable, above the 21.2% for England as a whole. Small Business Rate Relief was the largest of the four main reliefs in Stratford-on-Avon, at 31.7% of total relief, above 28.0% 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 Stratford-on-Avon 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 Stratford-on-Avon's £26,708.
- Business rates in Wychavon£26,342 average rateable value, £366 lower than Stratford-on-Avon
- Business rates in Stoke-on-Trent UA£25,880 average rateable value, £828 lower than Stratford-on-Avon
- Business rates in Birmingham£25,806 average rateable value, £902 lower than Stratford-on-Avon
- Business rates in Newcastle-under-Lyme£27,855 average rateable value, £1,147 higher than Stratford-on-Avon
- Business rates in Sandwell£28,129 average rateable value, £1,421 higher than Stratford-on-Avon
- Business rates in Cannock Chase£25,199 average rateable value, £1,509 lower than Stratford-on-Avon
Figures from MHCLG National Non-Domestic Rates statistics (2025-26), ONS UK Business Counts (2025), and English Indices of Deprivation (2025).
Updates for Stratford-on-Avon
By email.