Plans launched for the York BID
THE York Business Improvement District has launched its business plan for the coming years, as it hopes to raise £800,000 a year from the city’s businesses to make York more attractive to investors.
A postal ballot for the BID starts on 26 October. If a majority of voters, by number and rateable value, vote to support the business plan, then a BID will be established for five years.
The levy for the BID will be calculated at 1% of the rateable value of the individual business, but any businesses below the lower threshold, with a rateable value of £12,500 or less will not have to pay.
All businesses in the BID area will be required to pay the mandatory levy whether or not they cast a vote.
If the team secures a ‘Yes’ vote it will be one of the biggest BIDs in the UK, representing around 900 levy payers plus a further 600 businesses with lower rateable values.
An initial consultation of 100 businesses found support for the BID “overwhelming.”
An interim board for the York BID includes Adam Sinclair (chairman) Mulberry Hall, Colin Crawford of Aviva, Michael Hjort of Walmgate Ale House, Sophie Jewett of the York Cocoa House, Neil Setterfield from Fenwick and property consultant Paul Stansfield.
Also leading the BID will be Nick Symington from Langleys Solicitors, Frank Wood R.A. of Braithwaite Jewellers and Steve Brown and Lady Jane Gibson of Make It York.
The main actions of the BID will be improving the gateways to the city, as well as city infrastructure and appearance, and to become a family-friendly city centre, with a large proportion of the budget allocated to safety in the city centre.
The BID team will work with other organisations such as Make It York to grow the city’s reputation as a “city of festivals.”
£100,000 a year will be spent on administration and overheads, based on estimates from other BID cities such as Norwich.
Chairman Adam Sinclair, managing director of Mulberry Hall said; “York has one of the most buoyant economies in the north and employment levels are relatively high and stable. Nevertheless, the world is changing rapidly and York city centre has no divine right to an assured future.
“We face increased competition from other centres in the UK and across the world, as well as the Internet.
“We need to up our game in terms of attracting investment, entrepreneurship and financial and professional services, as well as our shopping offer.”
