Asked by: Rebecca Harris (Conservative - Castle Point)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of the amount of business rates to be paid by businesses in the retail, leisure, and hospitality sector in Castle Point constituency in 2026/27.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with HM Treasury)
The amount of business rates paid on each property is based on the rateable value of the property, assessed by the Valuation Office (VO), and the multiplier values, which are set by the Government.
At the Budget, the VO announced updated property values from the 2026 revaluation. This revaluation is the first since the pandemic, which has led to significant increases in rateable values for some properties.
In recognition of the impact of the revaluation on bills, the Government has introduced a support package worth £4.3 billion, to protect against ratepayers seeing large overnight increases in bills.
The Government has also introduced new permanently lower multipliers for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties. These new multipliers are worth nearly £1 billion per year and benefit over 750,000 properties.
Recognising the value they bring and the challenges they face, in addition to the support announced at Budget, the Government has introduced a 1-year 15 per cent relief for all pubs and live music venues in 2026/27. For the following two years, their bills will then be frozen in real terms.
The Government recognises that hotels have expressed concerns about how they are valued for business rates. Hotels valuations are undertaken in a different way to some other sectors. The methodology used is well established, but, as with pubs, the Government has announced it will review the way hotels are valued to ensure it accurately reflects the rental value for these sectors.