It is one year since the Bath Business Improvement District (BID) came in to force in April 2011 and in the space of 12 months, it has achieved some outstanding results on behalf of its levy payers which have benefitted them and other businesses in the city. Working in partnership with business and other organisations, the BID has introduced activities and initiatives that without BID funding would not have taken place.
The Bath BID agreement is to deliver on three fronts; to Manage, Promote and Save, which it has met without exception and in certain areas has exceeded expectations as Andrew Cooper, Bath BID Manager comments, “The income we generated via BID levies, the private sector, Bath & North East Somerset Council and other contributions exceeded our predicted figures for the year. This has enabled us to make significant investment in key areas such as the management and promotion of the city, which has created a cleaner, more exciting destination, resulting in greater visitor numbers.”
At the outset, it was clear that in the minds of the levy payers, the priority was to make the streets of Bath cleaner. The BID responded with the introduction of BID Rangers who patrol the city in a new BID eco-vehicle, deep cleaning streets and responding to incidents. An urgent call from BID levy payers for better management of the night time economy was promptly met by the introduction of Night Marshals and the Nightwatch scheme. The programme has proved so successful that it is being extended to outlying areas of the city.
Andrew Cooper, Bath BID Manager said, “It is important to remember that the Bath BID is not an extra tax on business and does not exist to supplement the council. Rather it works to add value, amplify activities and initiatives such as the Nightwatch Scheme and Bath in Fashion, which help to improve and better manage the city.
“While there are now over 620 businesses paying into the BID and a great many engaged in the wider community, the BID is not complacent. There is still a lot of work to be done to increase business involvement and ensure that the BID delivers as much value as possible for levy payers.”
Ranjit Mankoo from The Sony Centre Bath said, “Admittedly we were sceptical at just how much benefit this additional charge would bring to our business. However, having witnessed the Rangers in action and seen the fantastic promotions BID has brought to Bath which have noticeably raised footfall around the City centre, we are totally convinced this is money well spent.”
Bath BID’s “A Year in Review” is available to download at: www.bathbid.co.uk.
