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Reducing your Business Rates Bill
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Skip Guide NavigationRural Rate Relief
Post offices, public houses, general stores or petrol stations in rural areas on the rural settlement list can receive Rural Rate Relief, provided they meet the following criteria:
- The property must be occupied and
- The property must be the only general store, or only post office and have a rateable value of less than £8,500 or
- A food shop with a rateable value of less than £8,500 or
- The property must be the only public house or the only petrol station and have a rateable value of less than £12,500
For the purposes of administering the Rural Rate Relief Scheme, a rural settlement must be:
- within a rural area as defined under The Housing (Right to Acquire) (Designated Rural Areas in the South West) Order 1997
- Have a population of not more than 3000 on the preceding 31st December
| West Devon Borough Council rural settlement list 2024/25 | ||
|---|---|---|
| • Beaworthy • Belstone • Bondleigh • Bradstone • Bratton Clovelly • Brentor • Bridestowe • Broadwoodkelly • Chagford • Coryton • Dartmoor Forest • Drewsteignton • Dunterton • Exbourne • Germansweek • Gidleigh • Gulworthy |
• Hatherleigh • Highampton • Iddesleigh • Inwardleigh • Jacobstowe • Kelly • Lamerton • Lifton • Lydford • Mary Tavy • Marystowe • Meavy • Meeth • Milton Abbot • Monkokehampton • North Tawton • Northlew |
• Okehampton Hamlets
|
Please note that if you qualify for Rural Rate Relief, you cannot claim Small Business Rate Relief.
How much relief will I receive?
From the 1 April 2017, businesses which qualify for Rural Rate Relief will receive 100% relief.
Prior to this date, Rural Rate Relief was 50%.
Is any other relief available?
The council has discretionary power to grant relief to other rural retail businesses that are considered to be beneficial to the local community and have an RV of less than £16,500.