Rural Rate Relief - Mandatory Scheme

To qualify for this relief the business must:

1. be situated in a parish which is included in the rural settlement list
2. be the only general store or post office in the village and have a rateable value of not more than £7,000, or
3. be any food shop with a rateable value of not more than £7,000, or
4. be the only pub or petrol shop in the village, provided it has a rateable value of not more than £10,500
   

A business meeting these criteria will automatically qualify for a 50% reduction in the amount of rates payable.

An Application Form for Mandatory Rural Rate Relief is available to download.

A Rural Settlement list is available to download.

Rural Rate Relief – Discretionary Scheme

The Council can use discretionary powers to grant discretionary rate relief to rural general stores, post offices or other businesses by either:

1. topping up the mandatory relief given to village stores, post offices, Pubs, food or petrol shops to bring the total relief to any amount up to 100%, or
2. granting relief of up to 100% to other rural businesses provided they have a rateable value of not more than £14,000

An Application Form for for Discrectionary Rural Rate Relief is available to download.

The Council may not award relief unless it is satisfied that:

1. the property is used for purposes that are of benefit to the local community and whose loss would detrimentally affect the qualify of village life, and
2. it would be reasonable for the Council to grant the relief having regard to the interests of its Council Taxpayers