Business rates foi
Case reference FOI2026/01449
Received 1 September 2026
Published 11 September 2026
Request
I am seeking information relating to outstanding and uncollected business rates within your authority area over the past five financial years: 2021/22, 2022/23, 2023/24, 2024/25 and 2025/26. For each financial year, please provide: 1. The total value of non-domestic rates/business rates arrears outstanding as at 31 March. 2. The total amount of business rates written off during that financial year as irrecoverable or otherwise uncollectable. 3. Where recorded, the number of individual business rates accounts with an outstanding balance at the end of each financial year. 4. Where possible, details of the 10 largest outstanding business rates debts at the end of each financial year, including: o the name of the ratepayer or company; o the property address to which the debt relates; o the outstanding amount; and o the financial year or years to which the debt relates, where recorded. 5. The total amount of business rates due during each financial year which had not been collected by 31 March of that same year, before any subsequent recovery or write-off action.
Response
For each financial year, please provide:
1. The total value of non-domestic rates/business rates arrears outstanding as at 31 March.
£7,397,226.84 - this is the sum/total of all the outstanding balances, as taken at 31st March of the year to which the relevant bill relates. (Breakdown provided in Answer 5)
2. The total amount of business rates written off during that financial year as irrecoverable or otherwise uncollectable.
2021-2022: £392,601.44
2022-2023: £239,589.12
2023-2024: £146.930.10
2024-2025: £411,227,36
2025-2026: £437,158.97
3. Where recorded, the number of individual business rates accounts with an outstanding balance at the end of each financial year.
2021-2022: 270
2022-2023: 233
2023-2024: 197
2024-2025: 260
2025-2026: 280
4. Where possible, details of the 10 largest outstanding business rates debts at the end of each financial year, including:
o the name of the ratepayer or company;
o the property address to which the debt relates;
o the outstanding amount; and
o the financial year or years to which the debt relates, where recorded.
Unfortunately we are unable to provide this information, due to the complexity of the dataset. (Some of the accounts have multiple addresses and we are unable to tie a particular balance to a particular address).
5. The total amount of business rates due during each financial year which had not been collected by 31 March of that same year, before any subsequent recovery or write-off action.
2021-2022: £1,301,394.62
2022-2023: £1,312,789.43
2023-2024: £1,127,581.61
2024-2025: £1.609,466.43
2025-2026: £2,045,994.75
Documents
This is Tunbridge Wells Borough Council's response to a freedom of information (FOI) or environmental information regulations (EIR) request.