South East · 2025-26
Business Rates in Wealden
Businesses in Wealden paid £39.4m in net business rates during 2025-26, below the average English council's £93.2m.
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Relief granted in Wealden
Share of £19.4m total relief, 2025-26.
Wealden at a glance
Wealden granted £19.4m in relief overall, lower than the national council average of £26.3m. This included £9.7m in Small Business Rate Relief and £3.3m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief.
A further £3.1m went to charity relief and £1.3m to empty property relief, reflecting the mix of ratepayers across the local authority.
Wealden has an estimated 8,715 active businesses, according to the latest ONS Business Counts (2025).
Wealden ranks 239 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 Wealden rose by 17.9% — if this pushed your assessment too high, an appeal may be worth considering.
Frequently asked questions
How much are business rates in Wealden?
Wealden's local authority collected £39.4m 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 Wealden?
Wealden granted £19.4m in business rates relief in 2025-26, including £9.7m in Small Business Rate Relief, £3.3m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief, £3.1m in charity relief, and £1.3m 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.
Wealden compared with the South East and England
- Average rateable value
- £16,451£18,845 below the South East average (£35,296)£17,539 below the England average (£33,990)
- Largest sector by value
- Other commercial property, 37.1%4.6 percentage points above its 32.5% share in the South East
- Total rateable value, 2023 to 2026 list
- +17.0%South East: +19.7%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
Wealden ranks 277th of 296 English councils for average rateable value, at £16,451, and 62nd of 64 in the South East. The largest group of Wealden's rateable properties is industrial property (42.2%), yet other commercial property holds the largest share of value (37.1%).
Retail makes up 16.0% of Wealden's rateable properties and 18.4% of its rateable value, both below the 22.5% and 20.7% across the South East. At March 2026, around 10 of Wealden's rateable properties had a rateable value of £500,000 or more, rising to around 20 on the 2026 list.
Change at the 2026 revaluation
Wealden's +17.0% change in total rateable value at the 2026 revaluation sits mid-table in the South East: stronger than in 30 of the 63 other councils and weaker than in 32. The sharpest increase in Wealden was in industrial property, where total rateable value rose 17.9% at the 2026 revaluation, compared with +19.9% for industrial property across the South East. No sector fell in Wealden: retail property moved least, up 14.6% at the 2026 revaluation, compared with +10.8% for retail property across the South East.
Reliefs
In 2025-26, relief in Wealden came to 32.7% 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 Wealden, at 50.0% 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 Wealden compares with the rest of the region: Business rates in South East, State of Business Rates in England 2026 →
Nearby areas
Compare with other councils in the South East
Other South East councils with their average rateable value, listed from the closest to Wealden's £16,451.
- Business rates in Isle of Wight Council UA£15,066 average rateable value, £1,385 lower than Wealden
- Business rates in Hastings£17,861 average rateable value, £1,410 higher than Wealden
- Business rates in Thanet£18,862 average rateable value, £2,411 higher than Wealden
- Business rates in Folkestone & Hythe£19,388 average rateable value, £2,937 higher than Wealden
- Business rates in Rother£13,050 average rateable value, £3,401 lower than Wealden
- Business rates in Lewes£21,487 average rateable value, £5,036 higher than Wealden
Figures from MHCLG National Non-Domestic Rates statistics (2025-26), ONS UK Business Counts (2025), and English Indices of Deprivation (2025).
Updates for Wealden
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