Gyms: Business Rates
The question
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of business rate relief for independent gyms on levels of a) physical activity and b) public health.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson
At the Budget, the Valuation Office announced updated property values from the 2026 revaluation. This revaluation is the first since the pandemic, which has led to significant increases in rateable values for some properties.
The Government has introduced new permanently lower multipliers for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure properties. These new multipliers are worth nearly £1 billion per year and benefit over 750,000 properties, including gyms and fitness centres.
Overall, the Government has put in place a £4.3 billion support package, which protects against ratepayers seeing large overnight increases in bills.
As a result, over half of ratepayers see no bill increases this year, including 23 per cent whose bills go down. Most properties seeing increases have them capped at 15 per cent or less this year, or £800 for the smallest properties.
HM Treasury Ministers and officials have regular discussions with representatives from across the retail, hospitality, and leisure sectors, including gyms and leisure centres, to understand the impact of business rates on the sector’s financial sustainability.
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