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  5. Pay your business rates in Islington
  6. Business rates reduction and relief

Stay safe in very hot weather

Very hot weather is expected for the next few days. A red heat-health alert (the highest level) is in place for London on Wednesday and Thursday.  

Hot weather can be dangerous and can cause serious illness. Stay safe and look out for others who may be particularly vulnerable to the heat. Read advice on GOV.UK

Cool spaces

There are local cool spaces that are free and open to everyone. Visit them to rest, drink water and stay cool. Find a cool space near you

Access Islington hubs 

North and South Access Islington hubs are closed due to the hot weather. The Central Hub is open for urgent, in-person support, until 4pm today (Wednesday 24 June) but avoid travelling unless it is essential. 

You can still access our services online and you can call us on 020 7527 2000 if you need to speak to someone. 

Icon of a shop and £ sign

Business rates relief for live music and pubs

Music venues and pubs get 15% off business rates from 1 April 2026. Find out how to check if you will get the relief and get an estimated bill.

From 1 April 2026, live music venues and pubs will get 15% off business rates bills. Bills will also stay at the same rate for two years and only go up by inflation for both 1 April 2027 to 31 March 2028 and 1 April 2028 to 31 March 2029.

What your property needs to get this relief

Read what your property needs to have to qualify for live music venue and pub relief on GOV.UK.

Pubs must:

  • be open to the general public
  • always be free entry, except for occasional entertainment
  • let you drink without buying food
  • sell drinks at the bar

Live music venues must be premises that are only or mainly used to perform live music in to entertain an audience.

You can get this relief on top of any other relief you are getting.

You will not get this relief if you are a:

  • restaurant, cafe, nightclub or snack bar
  • hotel, guesthouse or boarding house
  • sporting venue
  • festival site, theatre or cinema
  • museum or exhibition hall
  • casino

Use the business rates estimation tool

GOV.UK has a tool you can use to see how this new relief reduces your April 2026 to March 2027 bill. It shows you an estimate of your bill.

You will need:

  • your current and April 2026 to March 2027 rateable value
  • reliefs that apply to your property now find them on your April 2025 to March 2026 business rates bill

You must provide the right information to get the most accurate estimate. It may not cover every circumstance.

If you are a live music venue or pub, you can use the tool on GOV.UK.

Questions about your bill

If you think you should get live music venue and pub relief, but it is not on your bill, contact us on business.rates@islington.gov.uk.

You can challenge your rateable value with the online Check and Challenge. You cannot challenge your new valuation until after 1 April 2026. Any questions about rateable values should go to the Valuation Officer Agency.

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