Other exemptions and reliefs for business rates

2020 Budget Announcement

In the 2020 Budget Announcement, the Government increased the amount of this award to £5,000. We will shortly be re-issuing bills to reflect the increased amount automatically. You are not required to make a new application. 

If you are not currently in receipt of this relief, please make an application using the details below.

2017 Spring Budget

In the 2017 Spring Budget the Government announced a new relief scheme for pubs that have a rateable value of below £100,000. Under the scheme, eligible pubs will receive a £1,000 discount on their bill. The relief will have effect for the financial year 2017/18 & 2018/19 only.

This discount has now been re-introduced from 01 April 2020 for the 2020-2021 year only. The relief will be automatically applied to those who received relief in 2018-2019.

The scheme will be available to eligible, occupied properties with a rateable value of less than £100,000. The majority of pubs are independently owned or managed and will not be part of chains. Where pubs are part of a chain, relief will be available for each eligible property in the chain, subject to meeting State Aid requirements, see further guidance below.

Eligible pubs should:

• be open to the general public
• allow free entry other than when occasional entertainment is provided
• allow drinking without requiring food to be consumed, and
• permit drinks to be purchased at a bar.

For these purposes, it should exclude:

• restaurants
• cafes
• nightclubs
• hotels
• snack bars
• guesthouses
• boarding houses
• sporting venues
• music venues
• festival sites
• theatres
• museums
• exhibition halls
• cinemas
• concert halls
• casinos

The exclusions in the list are not intended to be exhaustive and it will be for the Local Authority to determine those cases where eligibility is unclear.

If you believe you may qualify for this relief please print, complete and return the Support for Public Houses (Pubs) - Rate Relief Scheme application form either:

• via email (as a scanned document) to businessrates@sutton.gov.uk
• post it to Business Rates, Civic Offices, St. Nicholas Way, Sutton, SM1 1EA

The information on the completed application form will be used in accordance with the Council’s registration under the Data Protection Act 1998.

To protect public funds the council may use or share the information provided with other organisations that handle public funds to prevent and detect fraud.