Bracknell

Bracknell Forest Council has begun promoting rate relief to small businesses in the borough to help them to reduce the amount of business rates they pay.

The Bracknell relief, which can be worth up to £1,200 a year, is available to business ratepayers occupying a non-domestic property with a rateable value of less than £15,000. Ratepayers who qualify for this relief should have been sent an application form with their annual bill.

Keith Woodman, Chief Officer: Customer Services at Bracknell Forest Council, said: “Small business rate relief is available to ratepayers occupying small non-domestic properties. The aim is to help businesses, some of whom may be finding it more difficult to make ends meet, during the current economic times.”

Cllr Alan Ward, Executive Member for Finance, Resources and Assets at Bracknell Forest Council, said: “As a Council, we do all we can to help our local businesses, big and small, and promoting the relief is just one initiative which has been launched.

“The Council has also recently launched a new medium term objective to sustain economic prosperity, and we are now working hard to implement this and help out businesses as well as residents in the borough wherever we can.”

The business rate bills for all Bracknell businesses in the borough are calculated using the lower small business non-domestic rating multiplier which is a national standard set for calculating business rates.

The reduction in these rates will be paid for by larger businesses, where they pay a supplement to fund the relief.

Bracknell Forest Council