"Exclusive analysis of new Valuation Office Agency (VOA) data reveals a brutal transformation of the UK's social landscape. While local pubs are being hit by record-high valuations, the nightclub sector is being systematically dismantled, with the Treasury extracting the same tax revenue from a rapidly vanishing number of venues. The Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) has today issued an urgent ultimatum to Chancellor Rachel Reeves, warning that the 2026 business rates revaluation will be the "final curtain call" for thousands of venues."
"For the UK's remaining 39,661 pubs, the upcoming cycle represents a seismic shift in fixed costs. Over 15,600 venues are bracing for a valuation hike of more than 40%, while the safety net of Small Business Rates Relief is "evaporating." The data for nightclubs and bars (VOA categories 199 and 303) is even more harrowing. In the Nightclub & Discotheque Business Rates category specifically, the sector has contracted by 32% since 2017. Yet, incredibly, the total tax base has actually increased since the pandemic."
Valuation Office Agency (VOA) 2026 figures show a sharp increase in Rateable Value (RV) despite venue closures. Total RV for pubs surged to £1.67 billion even as pub numbers fell 15% since 2017. Around 15,600 of 39,661 pubs face valuation increases exceeding 40%, reducing Small Business Rates Relief protection. Nightclub and bar categories contracted—nightclubs fell from 1,831 in 2017 to 1,241 in 2026—yet the sector's total RV rose from £65.4m to £69.4m. The Night Time Industries Association warns that higher taxes on fewer venues threaten widespread closures across the night-time economy.
Read at London Business News | Londonlovesbusiness.com
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