Supporting Small Business Relief
This relief limits 2026/27 bill increases for businesses who, as a result of an increase in their rateable value, have lost some or all of their small business rate relief, rural rate relief, retail, hospitality and leisure relief, or 2023 supporting small business relief.
The increase will be capped at £800 for eligible businesses.
Pub and Live Music Venues Relief
In 2026/27, all qualifying pubs and live music venues will benefit from 15% rate relief.
Relief will be awarded to pubs that meet all of the following:
a. is open to the general public,
b. allows free entry other than when occasional entertainment is provided,
c. allows drinking without requiring food to be consumed, and
d. permits drinks to be purchased at a bar.
For these purposes, the meaning of pub does not include:
a. Restaurants, cafes, nightclubs, snack bars,
b. Hotels, guesthouses, boarding houses,
c. sporting venues,
d. festival sites, theatres, concert halls, cinemas,
e. museums, exhibition halls, and
f. casinos
Live music venues are properties that are:
a. wholly or mainly used for the performance of live music for the purpose of entertaining an audience.
b. Can be used for other activities but only if those other activities are:
i. ancillary or incidental to the performance of live music (e.g. the sale of food or drink to audience members).
ii. Do not affect the primary use of the premises for the performance of live music (e.g. because the activities are infrequent such as use of the venue as a polling station or fortnightly community event).
Properties are not a live music venue for the purpose of this relief if the property is wholly or mainly used as a nightclub or a theatre.
How to apply
Please contact us to say why your business should receive relief and provide us with all the details you think are relevant, including your contact details.
Local discounts under The Localism Act
Although most Business Rates rules are laid down by central government, the Localism Act 2011 now gives local councils more flexibility. Local councils can now help organisations in their area by granting local business rate discounts. Central government pays 50% of the costs of these local discounts, the council pays 49% and the precepting authorities (Essex County Council, PFC) pay 1%.
The Council takes the following into account when deciding whether to give a local discount.
- Will a discount result in a substantial positive impact on residents and taxpayers in the Maldon District?
- Does the organisation provide substantial and essential long term benefits to the community and to the council tax payer, for example by increasing employment or improving local amenities for the community?
- Could a discount have an anti-competitive effect on other businesses in the district? This could happen if there are other businesses in the area which provide the same or similar services or facilities.
How to apply
There is no application form for a local business rate discount. Please contact us to say why your business should receive one and provide us with all the details you think are relevant, including your contact details.