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Business Rates Reliefs

Revaluation

Business Rates Revaluation 2026

Significant changes are taking place to Business Rates from 1 April this year. We know these changes, introduced by the Government, are causing some concern for businesses, particularly in the hospitality industry.

Read our Business Rates Revaluation 2026 explainer article to find out what’s changing and why, as well as find out what action you may be able to take if you are worried about your bills increasing significantly.

Revaluation 2023 and Transitional Arrangements (2023)

All rateable values are reassessed at a general revaluation. The next revaluation will come into place on 1 April 2023. Revaluations make sure each ratepayer pays their fair contribution and no more, by ensuring that the share of the national rates bill paid by any one ratepayer reflects changes over time in the value of their property relative to others.

A transitional relief scheme limits changes in rate bills as a result of the (2023) revaluation. Under the transitional scheme, limits continue to apply to yearly increases until the full amount is due (rateable value times the appropriate multiplier). The scheme applies only to the bill based on a property at the time of the revaluation. If there are any changes to the property after (2023), transitional arrangements will not normally apply to the part of a bill that relates to any increase in rateable value due to those changes.

Changes to your bill as a result of other reasons (such as changes to the amount of small business rate relief) are not covered by the transitional arrangements. The transitional arrangements are applied automatically and are shown on the front of your bill. Further information about transitional arrangements and other reliefs may be obtained from your local authority or the website www.gov.uk/introduction-to-business-rates. More information on the (2023) revaluation can be found at www.gov.uk/introduction-to-business-rates/revaluation

At the Autumn Statement on 17 November 2022, the government announced a new transitional relief scheme. The scheme for 2023/24 will restrict increases in bills to 5% for business with small properties (up to and including £20,000 rateable value, 15% for rateable values between £20001 up to £100,000 and 30% for rateable values over 1000,000).

Business Rates discounts

If you have exceeded the cash cap limit, no longer wish to claim retail relief or have any queries in regards to this please contact the team by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 03004 560 560.

Pubs and Live Music Venues Relief

The Government has announced that from April 2026, every pub and live music venue will get 15% off its new business rates bill on top of the support 
announced at Budget and that bills will be frozen for a further two years.

Read the Changes to Pubs and Live Music Venues Relief for more information.

A new online estimator tool has been published to help you understand how the new relief reduces your 2026-27 business rates bill.

Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Relief Scheme

From April 2026, the current discount on business rates for shops, hospitality and leisure will end. A new, lower multiplier will be used instead, confirmed in the 2025 Autumn Budget.

Read about the changes to Retail, Hospitality & Leisure from 1st April 2026

Supporting Small Businesses Relief

At the 2022 Autumn Statement the Chancellor announced that the 2023 Supporting Small Business (SSB) scheme will cap bill increases at £600 per year for any business losing eligibility for some or all Small Business Rate Relief or Rural Rate Relief at the 2023 revaluation. SSB was first introduced at the 2017 revaluation to support ratepayers facing bill increases greater than the Transitional Relief caps due to loss of Small Business Rate Relief or Rural Rate Relief.

For further guidance please visit GOV.UK.

Changes to Supporting Small Business Relief from 1 April 2026

From April 2026 this scheme has changed, for more details visit the Supporting small business relief page.

Advice and support

Visit our Business page has more information about other types of support available.

Other types of Business Rates Relief

Your business property may qualify for relief on business rates,  pdf read the Wychavon Guidelines for Awarding Rate Relief (246 KB)  for supplementary information. See the range of reductions available below.

Empty property

Business Rates is not be payable for the first three months that a property is empty. After the 3-month period, rates will be charged at 100% unless the property is exempt e.g. listed buildings, empty properties owned by charities and community amateur sports clubs. Some properties are eligible for extended empty property relief, find out more about exempted buildings and empty buildings relief on GOV.UK.

Partially empty property

If only part of the premises is being used it may be possible to reduce the amount of business rates that are paid.

The relief would stop if:

  • the unoccupied part becomes occupied
  • the property becomes completely unoccupied  

If you wish to claim or inquire about this relief you should contact us immediately, and we will arrange for one of our Visiting Officers to visit your premises.

View contact information

Small Business Rate Relief

  • To qualify your property's rateable value must be less than £15,000
  • Your business only uses one property - you may still be able to get relief if you use more 

Qualifying businesses with a rateable value of £12,000 or below currently get 100% relief. This relief will decrease on a sliding scale for rateable values between £12,000 to £15,000. In addition, such businesses will have their bill calculated using the small business rates non-domestic rates multiplier.

Qualifying businesses with a rateable value between £15,001 - £51,000 will have their bill calculated using the small business rates non-domestic rates multiplier.

If you wish to apply, the please complete the online Application for Small Business Rate Relief

Rural Rate Relief

Businesses in a Rural Settlement  could qualify for Mandatory or Discretionary Rural Rate Relief on their Non Domestic Rates bill.

A list of the areas that are designated Rural Settlement list is available on our website or in our contact centres at Pershore, Evesham and Droitwich.  pdf View Rural Settlement list (196 KB)

Mandatory Rural Rate Relief

To qualify for 100% Mandatory Rural Rate Relief, your business premises must:

  • be within the boundaries of a qualifying rural settlement.
  • have a rateable value of not more than £8,500 in the case of a Post Office, general store or food shop.
  • have a rateable value of not more than £12,500 in the case of a public house or petrol filling station.
  • be used in whole or in part, as a general store, Post Office or both, or as a public house, food shop or petrol filling station.
  • be either the only general store, the only Post Office, the only public house or the only petrol filling station in the rural settlement. 

Complete the online Mandatory Rural Rate Relief form.

If you do not qualify for Mandatory Relief, you may still qualify for Discretionary Relief dependent on meeting certain criteria.

Discretionary Rural Rate Relief

We may grant up to 50% relief to any general store, food shop, Post Office, public house or petrol filling station which does not qualify for the Mandatory Rural Rate Relief.

  • A business can apply for Discretionary Rural Rate Relief of 50% provided that it:
  • is within the boundaries of a qualifying rural settlement.
  • has a rateable value of less than £16,500.
  • is used for purposes which are of benefit to the local community, and
  • is reasonable for us to make such a decision having regard to the interests of persons liable to pay Council Tax set by it.

Complete the online Discretionary Rural Rate Relief form.

Charitable and Discretionary Relief

Registered charities, charitable organisations and Community Amateur Sports Clubs (CASC's) are entitled to relief from rates on any non-domestic property that is wholly or mainly used for charitable purposes.

  • Relief is given at 80 per cent of the bill. We have the discretion to give a further 20% relief on the remaining bill depending upon what the premises are used for.
  • We also have the discretion to give up to 50% discretionary relief on all or part of any rate bill for property occupied by certain non-profit making organisations for example; sports clubs, societies, village halls and youth associations.

Complete the online Mandatory and Discretionary Relief form.

You can get further information on Rate Relief by visiting the Business Rates page on the GOV.UK website.

Hardship Relief

Businesses may be entitled to a reduction from rates if they are suffering hardship and they can show that the local community would suffer a loss if the business was to close.  

As each case needs to be determined on its merits you should contact us for further information.

Variations to premises licences

If you hold a premises licence and want to make changes to it, you can apply for a variation of the licence.

If you are only looking to make small changes to the licence, that will not impact on the promotion of the licensing objectives, it may be possible to apply for a Minor variations to premises licences. Minor variations are subject to a simplified application process and a lower application fee.

Further guidance on variation applications can be found on the Alcohol Licensing on the GOV website

To help make your application process run more smoothly, Worcestershire Regulatory Services now offers a pre-application assistance service.

Apply by post

If you are applying by post you will need to send your application to us at:

Licensing, Wychavon District Council, The Civic Centre, Queen Elizabeth Drive, Pershore, Worcestershire, WR10 1PT

If you are varying the licence to seek authorisation to use the premises for the sale of alcohol, you will need to identify a person who will act as designated premises supervisor (DPS). This person must agree to being nominated as the DPS by completing this form:

Copies of your application will also need to be sent to all of the responsible authorities, whose contact details can be found here:

A template for the public notice that needs to be displayed at the premises and published in a local newspaper, circular or similar document can be downloaded below. Please note that the notice displayed at the relevant premises must be printed on light blue paper.

Fees

A table of the fees that must be paid for applications under the Licensing Act 2003 can be found on our Licensing Fees and Charges page

You can find out the non-domestic rateable value of the relevant premises by visiting the Valuation Office Agency website.

Will tacit consent apply?

Yes. After the 28 day consultation period has expired, if no representations have been received from responsible authorities or other persons, then the licence is granted as applied for. We will issue the licence shortly after.

If there is a representation from a responsible authority other person then this will cause the application to be considered by the Licensing Sub-Committee. A hearing will be arranged within 56 days from the date the application is made.

 

Minor variations to premises licences

If you are the holder of a premises licence and you want to make small alterations to the premises licence that will not impact adversely on the licensing objectives, you can apply for a minor variation of the licence.

When we receive an application for a minor variation, we must consider whether the changes being proposed could impact adversely on the licensing objectives.

When considering an application, we have to consult with other relevant authorities if there is any doubt about the impact the proposed changes will have on the licensing objectives and we think we need specialist advice.

We will then take the views of these authorities into account in reaching our decision.

Further guidance on minor variations can be downloaded here:  document Guidance notes document on minor variations (126 KB) .

Further guidance on variation applications can be found on the Alcohol Licensing on the GOV website.

Apply by post

You can apply for a minor variation to your premises licence by post to this address:

Licensing, Wychavon District Council, The Civic Centre, Queen Elizabeth Drive, Pershore, Worcestershire, WR10 1PT.

You should include with your application the existing premises licence, any other relevant documents and the fee of £89.00.

When you have made your application, you then have to advertise it by displaying a public notice at the relevant premises for a period of 10 working days, starting on the working day after the minor variation application was given to us. The public notice must be on white paper of at least A4 size.

A template for the public notice can be downloaded here:

Will tacit consent apply?

Yes. If after the 10 working day consultation period has expired and no representations have been made by a responsible authority or other persons, then we will approve the minor variation.

If any representations have been received, we have a further five working days to consider them and will decide whether to approve or reject the application.

If the minor variation is approved, we will issue a notice outlining the minor variation to the premises licence.

We will also issue a new licence to reflect the minor variation.

 

Transferring a Premises Licence

To transfer a premises licence, either from you to another person or to you from the existing licence holder, you must apply formally to change the licence.

Individuals applying to transfer a premises licences to themselves have to submit documentation with their application to demonstrate they have permission to be in the UK and are entitled to undertake work relating to the carrying on of a licensable activity.

Applicants may provide clear photocopies or scanned copies of documents, which can either be in black and white or colour, and do not need to be endorsed as a copy of the original. Applicants should not submit original documents.

Review the  pdf document displaying list of acceptable documentation to show entitlement to work (116 KB)

To help make your application process run more smoothly, Worcestershire Regulatory Services now offers a pre-application assistance service.

Apply by post

Download an licence transfer application form here:

The existing holder of the premises licence must give their consent to the transfer by completing this form:

Both of these forms and the existing premises licence must then be sent to the following address, along with the £23.00 fee (cheques made payable to Wychavon District Council):

Licensing, Wychavon District Council, The Civic Centre, Queen Elizabeth Drive, Pershore, Worcestershire, WR10 1PT

You should also send copies of the forms to: West Mercia Police, Worcester Police Station, Castle Street, Worcester, WR1 3QX

Will tacit consent apply?

Yes. The application may take effect immediately or on a date specified in the application form and revised premises licence and licence summary will be issued to you.

If the chief officer of police for the area where the premises is situated is satisfied that the exceptional circumstances of the case are such that granting the application would undermine the crime prevention objective, he must give us a notice within 14 days.

We will then hold a hearing to determine the notice given by the police.

 

Premises Licence Reviews

Use the links below to find the information you need:

Who can apply for the review of a licence?

Responsible authorities (such as the police or fire authority) and other persons can ask us to review a premises licence or club premises certificate.

If a person wishes to request a review they will need to show that the activity carried on at the premises affects their quality of life.

When can I make a request for a review of the licence?

A request can be made at any time after the licence comes into operation although a licence should be given the chance to operate normally for a few months before a review is made. In the first instance, it is suggested that contact is made with the licence holder or designated premises supervisor (DPS) for the premises concerned to see if any problems can be resolved informally before requesting a review.

Is my request for a review relevant?

A request for a review must relate to one of the following licensing objectives for it to be considered relevant:

  • Prevention of crime and disorder
  • Public safety
  • Prevention of nuisance
  • Prevention of harm to children

A failure by the premises to promote any of the four licensing objectives is the only factor that can be considered in deciding whether or not we should review a licence.

We can reject your request for a review if we considers that it is one or more of the following:

  • Not relevant to one or more of the licensing objectives
  • Frivolous or vexatious
  • It is a repetition of a previous request and there has not been a reasonable period (normally 12 months) since a similar request for a review was made

How do I apply for a review of a premises licence?

If you want to apply by post, you need to complete the official application form with all the required details and send to us at:

Licensing, Wychavon District Council, The Civic Centre, Queen Elizabeth Drive, Pershore, Worcestershire, WR10 1PT

The application form can be downloaded here:

You must also send a copy of the application form to all the responsible authorities as well as the premises licence holder themselves and this has to be done on the same day as sending the original to us. To find out the contact address for the holder of the premises licence, please contact us via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by phone at 01905 822799.

The contact details for the responsible authorities can be downloaded here:

What happens once an application for review has been made?

We will advertise any requests for reviews of licences or certificates by displaying a notice at our offices and also on the premises to which the review relates, for 28 days from the day we receive your application.

During this consultation period, responsible authorities and other persons can comment on the review application. If the request for review is not rejected then we must hold a hearing before a Licensing Sub-Committee.

How will I hear if my application for review has been successful?

A notice of hearing will be prepared and this will set out details of the person applying for the review along with the responsible authorities and other persons that have made representations and the premises licence holder. A copy of the notice is sent to all parties indicating the date, time and location of the hearing. All parties named on the notice are asked to inform us if they wish to attend the hearing and speak no later than 5 working days before the hearing.

If a hearing is considered necessary, when is it required to take place?

We are required to hold a hearing within 20 working days following the end of the consultation period.

Who is entitled to attend a hearing should one be arranged?

Any member of the public can attend a hearing including the press. However, only the applicant for review, the premises licence holder, responsible authorities and other persons who have made representations on the application, can address the hearing on the application.

What options does the Licensing Sub-Committee have when making its decision on an application for review?

The Licensing Sub-Committee can:

  • Decide that no action is appropriate to promote the licensing objectives.
  • Modify or add conditions to the licence.
  • Exclude a licensable activity from the licence.
  • Remove the designated premises supervisor.
  • Suspend the licence for a period of time (not exceeding 3 months).
  • Revoke the licence.

Further information on community involvement in licensing decisions can be found on the GOV.UK website

Current Review Applications

APPLICATION FOR REVIEW OF A PREMISES LICENCE GRANTED UNDER THE LICENSING ACT 2003

Name of applicant for the review:

Worcestershire County Council – Trading Standards Service

Postal address of premises/club premises or description:

International Mini Market, 2B Port Street, Evesham, WR11 1AN 

The grounds for the applicant’s review application are:

That the operation of the premises is undermining the following licensing objectives:

  • The prevention of crime and disorder

Representations by responsible authorities or other persons should be made in writing to the Worcestershire Regulatory Services, Wyre Forest House, Finepoint Way, Kidderminster, DY11 7WF or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. between 20th January 2022 and 16th February 2022.

The register of the licensing authority and the grounds for the review application are available for inspection by appointment at Wychavon District Council, Civic Centre, Queen Elizabeth Drive, Pershore, Worcestershire, WR10 1PT. Please call us on 01905 822799 for an appointment.

IT IS AN OFFENCE, LIABLE ON CONVICTION TO A FINE UP TO LEVEL 5 ON THE STANDARD SCALE [£5,000], UNDER SECTION 158 OF THE LICENSING ACT 2003 TO KNOWINGLY OR RECKLESSLY MAKE A FALSE STATEMENT IN OR IN CONNECTION WITH AN APPLICATION

22/00266/REVPL

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