Rural Rate Relief

You could get Rural Rate Relief if your business is in a rural area with a population below 3,000.

From 1 April 2023 you will not pay any business rates if your business is in an eligible area and is either:

  • the only village shop or post office, with a rateable value of up to £8,500
  • the only public house or petrol station, with a rateable value of up to £12,500.

To check your eligibility and to apply for Rural Rate Relief, please contact the local council for your area:

Discretionary Rural Rate Relief is available if your property significantly benefits your local community and has a rateable value of less than £16,500.

Whether your application is successful is at the discretion of your local council.

West Suffolk Council

Rural settlement list 2024-25

(under s42A of the Local Government Finance Act 1988)

Businesses located within areas of West Suffolk Council shown in the second column below are deemed to be within a rural settlement – that is, having a population of less than 3000 at 31 December 2023.

All settlement boundaries are as set out in Forest Heath Local Plan Policies Map 2017 (page 3 of the Local Policies Plan Map Book):

 

Civic parish Areas that are defined as 'rural settlements'
Ampton, Little Livermere and Timworth All areas
Bardwell All areas
Barnardiston All areas
Barnham All areas
Barningham All areas
Barrow All areas
Barton Mills All areas
Beck Row, Holywell Row and Kenny Hill All areas outside the Beck Row settlement boundary
Bradfield Combust with Stanningfield All areas
Bradfield St Clare All areas
Bradfield St George All areas
Brandon and Wangford All areas outside the Brandon settlement boundary
Brockley All areas
Bury St Edmunds All areas outside the Bury St Edmunds settlement boundary
Cavendish All areas
Cavenham All areas
Chedburgh All areas
Chevington All areas
Clare All areas
Coney Weston All areas
Cowlinge All areas
Culford All areas
Dalham All areas
Denham All areas
Denston All areas
Depden All areas
Elveden All areas
Eriswell All areas
Euston All areas
Exning All areas
Fakenham Magna All areas
Flempton All areas
Fornham All Saints All areas
Fornham St Martin and Fornham St Genevieve All areas
Freckenham All areas
Gazeley All areas
Great Barton All areas
Great Bradley and Little Bradley All areas
Great Livermere All areas
Great Thurlow All areas
Great Whelnetham All areas
Great Wratting All areas
Hargrave All areas
Haverhill All areas outside the Haverhill settlement boundary
Hawkedon All areas
Hawstead All areas
Hengrave All areas
Hepworth All areas
Herringswell All areas
Higham All areas
Honington All areas
Hopton and Knettishall All areas
Horringer and Ickworth All areas
Hundon All areas
Icklingham All areas
Ingham All areas
Ixworth and Ixworth Thorpe All areas
Kedington All areas
Kentford All areas
Lackford All areas
Lakenheath All areas outside the Lakenheath settlement boundary
Lidgate All areas
Little Thurlow All areas
Little Whelnetham All areas
Little Wratting All areas
Market Weston All areas
Mildenhall All areas outside the Mildenhall settlement boundary
Moulton All areas
Newmarket All areas outside the Newmarket settlement boundary
Nowton All areas
Ousden All areas
Pakenham All areas
Poslingford All areas
Rede All areas
Red Lodge All areas outside the Red Lodge settlement boundary
Risby All areas
Rushbrooke with Rougham All areas
Santon Downham All areas
Sapiston All areas
Stansfield All areas
Stanton All areas
Stoke-by-Clare All areas
Stradishall All areas
The Saxhams All areas
Thelnetham All areas
Tro All areas
Tuddenham All areas
West Row All areas
West Stow and Wordwell All areas
Westley All areas
Whepstead All areas
Wickhambrook All areas
Withersfield All areas
Wixoe All areas
Worlington All areas

Increase in Rateable Value at 1 April 2023

Business rates increases are capped at £600 per year or £50 per month for 2023-24 if:

  • you were previously eligible for Rural Rate Relief, and
  • you have ceased to be eligible because of an increase in the rateable value of your property.