Around 4,400 hospitality businesses will be eligible for 15% relief on their rates bills in 2026‑27, Finance Secretary Mark Drakeford confirmed today.
The announcement comes the same morning Swansea councillor and Senedd candidate Cllr Sam Bennett warned that Welsh venues risked being placed at a “serious competitive disadvantage” unless ministers matched support being rolled out in England.
In a statement, the Welsh Government said the new package — worth up to £8 million — uses funding from the UK Government but also includes Welsh Government money to widen the range of businesses helped.
Finance Secretary Mark Drakeford said:
“Pubs, restaurants, cafés, bars and live music venues are at the heart of communities across Wales. We know they are facing real pressures, from rising costs to changing consumer habits.
This additional support will help around 4,400 businesses as they adapt to these challenges. We have extended this relief to restaurants and cafés, as well as pubs and live music venues, because in towns and high streets across Wales these businesses operate side by side, often in direct competition. It makes sense to support them equally.”
The Welsh Government said the relief will sit alongside existing permanent support worth £250 million a year, with almost half of Welsh pubs already receiving Small Business Rates Relief and more than a quarter paying no rates at all.
From April, the multiplier used to calculate rates bills will also be reduced for the first time since 2010, and £116 million in transitional relief will be provided over two years to help businesses adjust to revaluation changes.
Eligible businesses will be able to apply through their local authority from April 2026.
The move follows growing pressure from the sector. Industry figures told the BBC this week that Welsh businesses were facing higher costs than English competitors, with one brewery owner saying he would pay “not a penny” in business rates if he were based across the border.
Cllr Bennett had earlier said Swansea Bay venues were “on the brink” and urged ministers to “act swiftly” to avoid closures.
Today’s announcement means Wales will now offer a similar level of support to England — but extended to a wider range of hospitality businesses.
