The government is providing a Business Rates discount to eligible retail, leisure and hospitality properties that had to close because of the COVID-19 restrictions.

From 1 July 2021 to 31 March 2022,  an Expanded Retail Discount of 66% applies to Business Rates of eligible businesses. The discount only applies to properties occupied during this time.

The government have set 'caps' for the amount of Business Rates relief a business can receive through the 2021/22 financial year, these are called Cash Caps. 
 
If your business is part of a larger group, the Cash Cap covers the group structure as a whole, not the individual company.

Relief is usually capped at £105,000 per business. If you needed to close your business because of government guidance issued on 5 January 2021, the relief is capped at £2 million per business.

Expanded Retail Discount is available to eligible properties that are occupied and wholly or mainly being used:

• as shops, restaurants, cafes, drinking establishments, cinemas and live music venues
• for assembly and leisure
• as hotels, guest and boarding premises and self-catering accommodation

A full list is of eligible businesses is available on the government's website.

Some businesses have provisionally had the 66% Expanded Retail Relief applied to their Business Rates bill. To keep the discount, they must declare that they will remain below the Cash Cap.

Eligible businesses who want to keep the discount must submit a declaration via grantapproval.co.uk.

If you want to refuse the discount, tell us by emailing rates@crawley.gov.uk.

Businesses will not receive the discount if a declaration has not been submitted.

If you have any questions, email rates@crawley.gov.uk.