IT firm co-founder backs Bradford BID to the tune of £25,000

A Bradford IT pioneer has pledged £25,000 to the proposed Business Improvement District for the city.

Mark Cowgill, co-founder and director of Exa Networks – one of the UK’s leading internet service providers for schools and businesses – said the BID’s plans were so important to the future of the city that he wanted to encourage as many city centre firms as possible to support it.
“We knew our headquarters were outside the original demise area but, for us, it was a no-brainer to support it – even though we were not going to benefit directly from being part of it,” said Cowgill.
“The fact that the demise area has now expanded to take in Bolton Road, where we’re based, is fantastic – but we were determined to help get the BID off the ground and we put up the money to help ensure it happens.”
More than 600 city centre-based businesses and organisations – including local and national retailers, leisure and hospitality firms, professional and legal services companies and others – will be balloted on whether the BID should go ahead in September.
If the ballot is successful, they will all pay a levy which will raise more than £2.5m over the five years of the scheme to pay for projects to improve the city centre.
Cowgill added: “I think it’s absolutely vital to Bradford. The city has not lived up to its potential for a long time and I think it’s essential we raise our game.
“A lot of stuff that’s happened here over the last few years, with Broadway and developments like Sunbridge Wells, has been great but it just needs that little bit more. I believe the BID is how we’re going to do it. It has the ability to give us that final nudge over the line we need.”

“Any business that says it’s supporting it for completely unselfish reasons is lying; we all have reasons why we want to see Bradford succeed.
“For us, we’re a growing business, we have staff coming in to work for us but people get their eyes turned like magpies: if there’s something shiny over at Manchester or Leeds, it’s more attractive to go work there. And that’s generally about what it’s like in the city centre, rather than what the job is.
Ian Ward, chairman of the BID Development Board, said: “Mark’s support for the BID is amazing. He’s totally committed to Bradford and we thought his offer to put up £25,000 to support it, no strings attached, was fantastic and a real testament to his belief in the city.
“We’re really pleased that we’ve been able to expand the BID’s demise area and we know Mark and his team will make an extremely significant contribution to the whole project.”

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