Charity Shops Receiving Mandatory Charitable Relief
Received: 28 January 2026
Dear London Borough of Barnet FOI Team,Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, I request the following recorded information held by the Council.Please provide the most recent available data (ideally for the current financial year 2025/26, or the latest full year with figures, e.g., 2024/25):1. Number of charity shops receiving business rates relief:* How many charity shops (premises occupied by registered charities, used wholly or mainly for the sale of donated goods to raise funds) in the borough currently receive mandatory charitable rate relief (under Section 43(5) of the Local Government Finance Act 1988)?* If possible, provide a breakdown or total specifically for premises on the main high streets/town centres (e.g., Whetstone High Road, North Finchley High Road, East Finchley High Road, Golders Green, Edgware, etc.), or note if data is not segmented this way.2. Range and details of discounts:* What is the standard mandatory relief percentage applied to qualifying charity shops (expected to be 80%)?* How many of these charity shops receive additional discretionary relief (under Section 47) to top up the discount (e.g., to 100% or another level)?* What is the range of total relief percentages awarded to charity shops (e.g., 80% only, or 80% + discretionary amounts up to 100%)?* Any policy criteria or recent changes regarding discretionary relief for charity shops (e.g., limits due to competition with independent retailers)?If the exact number of 'charity shops' is not tracked separately, please provide data for all premises granted charitable mandatory relief (or the closest equivalent category) and note any limitations. If figures are available in published reports (e.g., business rates relief summaries, NNDR accounts, or your disclosure log), please provide direct links or excerpts.I would prefer the response in electronic format (e.g., spreadsheet or PDF) for clarity.Thank you for your assistance. I look forward to your response within the statutory 20 working days.Yours faithfully,
Outcome / Documents
- Response (some not held) - application/pdf - Download