London · 2025-26
Business Rates in Westminster
Businesses in Westminster paid £2,011.5m in net business rates during 2025-26, above the average English council's £93.2m.
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Relief granted in Westminster
Share of £385.0m total relief, 2025-26.
Westminster at a glance
Westminster granted £385.0m in relief overall, higher than the national council average of £26.3m. This included £7.3m in Small Business Rate Relief and £112.5m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief.
A further £85.9m went to charity relief and £178.3m to empty property relief, reflecting the mix of ratepayers across the local authority.
Westminster has an estimated 55,675 active businesses, according to the latest ONS Business Counts (2025).
Westminster ranks 92 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 Westminster rose by 17.2% — if this pushed your assessment too high, an appeal may be worth considering.
Frequently asked questions
How much are business rates in Westminster?
Westminster's local authority collected £2,011.5m 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 Westminster?
Westminster granted £385.0m in business rates relief in 2025-26, including £7.3m in Small Business Rate Relief, £112.5m in retail, hospitality and leisure relief, £85.9m in charity relief, and £178.3m 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.
Westminster compared with London and England
- Average rateable value
- £130,876£65,955 above the London average (£64,921)£96,886 above the England average (£33,990)
- Largest sector by value
- Office property, 58.6%13.2 percentage points above its 45.4% share in London
- Total rateable value, 2023 to 2026 list
- +22.6%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
With an average rateable value of £130,876, Westminster has the 2nd highest figure of England's 296 councils and 2nd of 33 in London. Office property also accounts for the most properties in Westminster, at 58.0% of its rateable properties.
In Westminster, retail is 17.6% of rateable properties and 20.1% of rateable value; across London the figures are 28.9% and 19.7%. 1,700 rateable properties in Westminster were rated at £500,000 or more at March 2026, the highest count in England and 10.1% of the national total, and 2,060 on the 2026 list.
Change at the 2026 revaluation
Only 5 of the 32 other councils in London saw a stronger change in total rateable value at the 2026 revaluation than Westminster's +22.6%. Other commercial property saw the biggest rise in Westminster: total rateable value up 49.2% between the 2023 and 2026 lists, against +44.5% for other commercial property across London. Even the weakest sector in Westminster, industrial property, rose 7.4% in total rateable value at the 2026 revaluation, against +24.4% for industrial property across London.
Reliefs
Total relief granted in Westminster equalled 15.1% of gross rates payable in 2025-26, below the 21.2% across English councils taken together. Of the four main reliefs, empty property relief accounted for the most in Westminster: 46.3% of the total, above the England figure of 17.0%.
Source: HM Revenue & Customs, using Valuation Office Agency data, and MHCLG relief returns. Open Government Licence v3.0. Method and rounding: /methodology.
See how Westminster 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 Westminster's £130,876.
- Business rates in City of London£151,053 average rateable value, £20,177 higher than Westminster
- Business rates in Hillingdon£94,914 average rateable value, £35,962 lower than Westminster
- Business rates in Camden£83,768 average rateable value, £47,108 lower than Westminster
- Business rates in Kensington & Chelsea£76,321 average rateable value, £54,555 lower than Westminster
- Business rates in Southwark£63,624 average rateable value, £67,252 lower than Westminster
- Business rates in Newham£58,457 average rateable value, £72,419 lower than Westminster
Figures from MHCLG National Non-Domestic Rates statistics (2025-26), ONS UK Business Counts (2025), and English Indices of Deprivation (2025).
Updates for Westminster
By email.