On 27 January 2026, the government announced that eligible pubs and live music venues in England will receive a 15% reduction on their business rates bills for the 2026-27 financial year.
Eligibility criteria
The property must be occupied and must operate as a pub or live music venue.
Pubs
For the purposes of this relief a pub must be:
- open to the general public
- allow free entry other than when occasional entertainment is provided
- allow drinking without requiring food to be consumed
- permit drinks to be purchased at a bar
For the purposes of ths relief, the meaning of a pub does not include:
- restaurants, cafes, nightclubs, snack bars
- hotels, guesthouses, boarding houses
- sporting venues
- festival sites, theatres, cinemas
- museums, exhibition halls
- casinos
Live music venues
A live music venue means a business that:
- is wholly or mainly used for the performance of live music for the purpose of entertaining an audience and
- can be used for other activities but only if those other activities:
- are ancillary or incidental to the performance of live music (e.g. the sale of food or drink to audience members)
- do not affect the primary use of the premises for the performance of live music (e.g. because the activities are infrequent such as use of the venue as a polling station or fortnightly community event)
Amount of relief
A 15% reduction will be applied to eligible business rates accounts.
How to apply
Please complete the online form below.
