Football clubs feel business rates pinch

English and Welsh football clubs have received dramatic hits on their business rates bills following the revaluation at the start of last month. As well as high profile retailers, clubs have also had to endure hikes with Swansea City leading the way with 300%, according to research by Altus Group. Not far behind Swansea are Southampton with a 296% rise and Stoke City with a 293% rise. In contrast, Portsmouth saw a drop of 75%. Eight of the 10 largest rises were endured by Premiership clubs. The grounds with the highest rateable values were those of Arsenal (£6.1m) and Manchester United (£6.1m). Altus Group executive vice president Robert Hayton said: “In many respects the system rewards failure. Win promotion to the next league and your rateable value goes up. Do it in such a way that your position looks secure and your rateable value is set even higher. “The worst thing a club can do is get promoted just before the date used for the revaluation and then crash out again soon after. There’s no adjustment allowed mid list and you’ll be stuck with your inflated rateable value for the next five years. “This is a quirky area for valuation. There’s no real market for a football stadium when there’s only one occupier – one club – likely to take it. It’s very rare to have two teams bidding for a ground, as happened in Stratford, or a team lured 60 miles to a new home town, as happened in Milton Keynes.” “The result is that the premiership’s superpowers – Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool – enjoy falls in their rateable values, while the Premiership’s second-rank clubs face the biggest rises. They also face the greatest threat of relegation.” Rateable values for football stadia and grounds are calculated using gate receipts – the maximum possible and the actual average – rather than local property values. This is weighted with an assessment of the club’s ability to pay, based on whether it might go up, down or maintain its league position. The assessment is made using a fixed date before revaluation – 1 April 2015 in the case of the 1 April 2017 revaluation. Value is also added for a ground’s facilities, but hotels and bars are usually assessed separately. 2017 list 2010 list Club League Rateable value, £ Effective date Percentage change Rateable value, £ Effective date Swansea City FC Premier 1,200,000 01/04/2017 300 300,000 01/04/2010 Southampton FC Premier 2,040,000 01/04/2017 296 515,000 31/01/2013 Stoke City FC Premier 1,770,000 01/04/2017 293 450,000 01/04/2010 Burnley FC Premier 1,160,000 01/04/2017 280 305,000 01/08/2014 Queens Park Rangers FC Championship 1,000,000 01/04/2017 270 270,000 01/04/2010 Leicester City FC Premier 2,060,000 01/04/2017 264 566,000 05/07/2011 Crystal Palace FC Premier 1,270,000 01/04/2017 236 377,500 01/04/2010 Hull City FC Premier 1,600,000 01/04/2017 220 500,000 01/04/2010 Rotherham United FC Championship 216,000 01/04/2017 170 80,000 15/06/2016 AFC Bournemouth Premier 290,000 01/04/2017 147 117,500 21/07/2013 Brentford FC Championship 132,000 01/04/2017 144 54,000 01/04/2010 Blackpool FC League Two 575000 01/04/2017 96 293000 01/04/2010 Millwall FC League One 310,000 01/04/2017 87 166,000 01/04/2010 Sunderland AFC Premier 3,530,000 01/04/2017 86 1,900,000 01/04/2010 Bury FC League One 82,000 01/04/2017 83 44,750 01/04/2014 Oxford United FC League One 89,500 01/04/2017 80 49,750 01/04/2010 West Bromwich Albion FC Premier 1,610,000 01/04/2017 61 1,000,000 01/04/2010 Crawley Town FC League Two 49,750 01/04/2017 60 31,000 01/04/2015 Huddersfield Town AFC Championship 427,500 01/04/2017 58 270,000 01/02/2015 Cheltenham Town AFC League Two 47,750 01/04/2017 36 35,000 01/04/2013 Cardiff City FC/Wales National Team Championship 843,000 01/04/2017 31 645,000 01/04/2010 Nottingham Forest FC Championship 450,000 01/04/2017 29 350,000 01/04/2010 Chesterfield FC League One 154,000 01/04/2017 23 125,000 27/03/2013 Manchester City FC Premier 4,650,000 01/04/2017 23 3,775,000 16/08/2015 Barnsley FC Championship 337,500 01/04/2017 20 282,000 01/04/2010 Cambridge United FC League Two 38,000 01/04/2017 19 32,000 01/04/2010 Rochdale AFC League One 62,500 01/04/2017 19 52,500 01/04/2010 Exeter City FC League Two 44,750 01/04/2017 18 38,000 01/04/2010 Port Vale FC League One 98,500 01/04/2017 17 84,500 01/04/2010 Colchester United FC League Two 113,000 01/04/2017 16 97,000 01/04/2010 Accrington Stanley FC League Two 58,000 01/04/2017 16 50,000 01/04/2010 West Ham United Premier 4,600,000 01/04/2017 15 4,000,000 03/06/2016 Brighton And Hove Albion Championship 685,000 01/04/2017 14 600,000 15/03/2013 Coventry City FC League One 600000 01/04/2017 14 525000 12/09/2011 Stevenage FC League Two 40,000 01/04/2017 13 35,500 01/04/2010 Oldham Athletic FC League One 67,500 01/04/2017 13 60,000 31/10/2015 Derby County FC Championship 610,000 01/04/2017 11 550,000 01/04/2015 Everton FC Premier 2,440,000 01/04/2017 11 2,200,000 01/04/2010 Aston Villa FC Championship 2,870,000 01/04/2017 10 2,600,000 01/04/2010 Norwich City FC Championship 705,000 01/04/2017 7 660,000 25/12/2011 Newcastle United FC Championship 4,000,000 01/04/2017 7 3,725,000 01/04/2010 Sheffield Wednesday FC Championship 445,000 01/04/2017 7 415,000 01/04/2010 Doncaster Rovers FC League Two 236,000 01/04/2017 5 224,500 01/04/2015 Fleetwood Town FC League One 34750 01/04/2017 5 33000 01/08/2012 Milton Keynes Dons FC League One 838000 01/04/2017 5 800000 01/04/2015 Notts County FC League Two 93,000 01/04/2017 4 89,000 07/01/2011 Mansfield Town FC League Two 40,750 01/04/2017 4 39,000 01/04/2010 Wolverhampton Wanderers FC Championship 685,000 01/04/2017 4 660,000 28/09/2012 Northampton Town FC League One 81,000 01/04/2017 3 79,000 02/04/2016 Bradford City AFC League One 153,000 01/04/2017 3 149,000 03/09/2013 Leeds United AFC Championship 775,000 01/04/2017 0 775,000 27/06/2014 Morecambe FC League Two 42500 01/04/2017 0 42500 10/08/2010 AFC Wimbledon Championship 69000 01/04/2017 0 69000 01/04/2010 Liverpool FC Premier 4,410,000 01/04/2017 -2 4,500,000 20/08/2016 Burton Albion FC Championship 59,000 01/04/2017 -3 60,750 01/04/2010 Shrewsbury Town FC League One 92,000 01/04/2017 -5 97,000 01/04/2010 Chelsea FC Premier 3,650,000 01/04/2017 -7 3,945,000 01/04/2010 Arsenal FC Premier 6,130,000 01/04/2017 -7 6,600,000 01/01/2012 Manchester United FC Premier 6,090,000 01/04/2017 -8 6,630,000 30/05/2011 Tottenham Hotspur FC Premier 2,460,000 01/04/2017 -8 2,670,000 22/11/2010 Gillingham FC League One 87,000 01/04/2017 -9 96,000 01/04/2010 Ipswich Town FC Championship 485,000 01/04/2017 -10 539,000 01/04/2010 Barnet FC League Two 149000 01/04/2017 -12 169000 01/04/2010 Leyton Orient FC League Two 53,000 01/04/2017 -12 60,500 01/04/2010 Walsall FC League One 95,500 01/04/2017 -13 110,000 01/04/2010 Swindon Town FC League One 68,500 01/04/2017 -14 80,000 01/04/2010 Reading FC Championship 870,000 01/04/2017 -15 1,020,000 01/04/2010 Peterborough United FC League One 93000 01/04/2017 -17 112000 15/07/2015 Fulham FC Championship 895,000 01/04/2017 -19 1,100,000 01/04/2010 Carlisle United FC League Two 72,500 01/04/2017 -20 91,000 10/11/2014 Yeovil Town FC League Two 51,500 01/04/2017 -21 65,000 01/04/2010 Watford AFC Premier 475,000 01/04/2017 -23 616,000 13/12/2014 Preston North End FC Championship 222,000 01/04/2017 -23 287,500 01/04/2010 Wycombe Wanderers FC League Two 101,000 01/04/2017 -24 133,000 01/04/2010 Blackburn Rovers FC Championship 840,000 01/04/2017 -28 1,170,000 01/04/2010 Luton Town FC League Two 41,000 01/04/2017 -29 57,500 07/07/2011 Birmingham City FC Championship 860,000 01/04/2017 -29 1,210,000 01/04/2010 Southend United FC League One 49,500 01/04/2017 -30 71,000 01/04/2010 Hartlepool United FC League Two 39,500 01/04/2017 -32 58,000 01/04/2010 Grimsby Town FC League Two 38,000 01/04/2017 -33 57,000 01/04/2010 Scunthorpe United FC League One 54,500 01/04/2017 -34 83,000 01/04/2010 Charlton Athletic FC League One 415,000 01/04/2017 -34 630,000 01/04/2010 Crewe Alexandra FC League Two 56,500 01/04/2017 -41 95,750 01/04/2010 Middlesbrough FC Premier 915,000 01/04/2017 -41 1,560,000 01/04/2010 Sheffield United FC League One 255,000 01/04/2017 -43 450,000 01/04/2010 Plymouth Argyle FC League Two 137,000 01/04/2017 -44 242,500 01/04/2010 Bristol Rovers FC League One 48,000 01/04/2017 -47 90,000 01/04/2010 Bristol City FC Championship 161,000 01/04/2017 -49 315,000 15/08/2015 Wigan Athletic FC Championship 540,000 01/04/2017 -51 1,100,000 01/04/2010 Bolton Wanderers FC League One 825,000 01/04/2017 -54 1,800,000 17/02/2017 Portsmouth FC League Two 144,000 01/04/2017 -75 575,000 08/08/2013 To send feedback, e-mail david.hatcher@egi.co.uk or tweet @hatcherdavid or @estatesgazette