The government is providing funding to local authorities so that they can provide a discount worth up to £1,500 from 1st April 2017, to office space occupied by local newspapers. This is up to a maximum of one discount per local newspaper title and per hereditament, and up to state aid limits. The relief will be delivered through local authority discretionary discount powers (under section 47(3) of the Local Government Finance Act 1988).

Who is eligible?

You could get local newspaper relief if your property is used as office premises for journalists and reporters on a local newspaper.

You cannot get the relief for:

• magazines
• online newspapers that are not printed

Eligibility criteria for this relief is set out in a government guidance note

What you'll get

The relief is a £1,500 reduction in business rates per year for eligible properties.

You can only get the relief for one property per newspaper even if more than one property is used as offices for the newspaper.

If several local newspapers use the same office, they can only get the relief on one newspaper title.

This relief will end on 31 March 2025.