Businesses on Mull, Iona and Ulva reject business improvement district

A proposal to establish a BID project on the Isle of Mull, Argyll, Scotland (http://www.mi-bid.co.uk/) was firmly rejected on the 21st March 2013.

Aggregate Rateable Value:  £1,934,440
Aggregate RV For the BID:  £859,075
Aggregate RV Against:      £729,370

Rateable Value turnout:      82%
Person turnout:              81%
Votes in total were cast    363
Total for the BID:          134 votes YES (36.95%)
Total against the BID        229 votes NO  (63.08%)

http://forargyll.com/2013/03/mull-says-a-big-no-to-bid/

Glasgow traders want out after BID flops

Traders in the Clarkston district of Glasgow want to end their BID after no improvement in three years.

Jim Watt, who runs Cafe Roma with his son James, was served by sheriff’s officers on Monday with a £1300 bill for unpaid BID fees. He has come to a payment arrangement, but regrets voting yes to the BID.

He said: “Our revenue hasn’t gone up a penny since it came in, but we’re paying out an extra £900 a year. There was a Christmas open day which maybe increased our turnover by about £200 compared to an average Saturday, but there were plenty of other businesses that saw no increase at all.

“We wouldn’t mind if we were seeing something substantial in return, but the BID has done nothing.”

The levy of an extra 3.5p in the pound on business rates for the Clarkston scheme is the highest BID charge in Scotland. Herald Scotland.

Babbacombe traders question BID ballot

A number of traders in Babbacombe, Torquay, in Devon say their BID was approved despite some traders not receiving ballot papers. The same traders say they would have voted against the BID if they had been given the chance.

a group of about 20 traders, mainly from the Reddenhill Road and Babbacombe Downs area, claim some businesses did not receive voting papers and they object to having to pay an extra bill to pay for the BID after the ‘yes’ vote” http://www.thisisdevon.co.uk/Babbacombe-businesses-didn-t-receive-BID-ballot/story-17504388-detail/story.html#ixzz2RKDuW4QD 

But how when the ballot papers didn’t reach the traders, their business rates bills and BID levy have no problem reaching the traders?

Renewal of Sleaford BID rejected

Sleaford businesses have rejected a proposal to renew the BID which was set up in 2007. A ballot in July 2012 in the Lincolnshire town rejected plans to renew the BID. The BBC reports that residents want to keep the CCTV cameras, while John Elkington chair of the BID claims that the town “has a collection of individuals who only tend to look after their own businesses”. I wonder what they thought of him?

Carlisle city centre BID proposal rejected

Firms in Carlisle city centre have not backed a proposal to set up a Business Improvement District. Most of the business ratepayers in the area who voted rejected the plan – although the majority of rateable value voted in favour, reported The Cumberland News.

A ‘yes’ vote is required for both categories to allow a BID to be approved, which means that in this case the smaller businesses rejected the BID plans. The BID levy threshold was set at a rateable value of £7,500

Cambridge businesses to vote on business improvement district (BID)

The city of Cambridge is holding a ballot for a BID to cover the city centre. Businesses with a rateable value over £20,000 are being balloted in October 2012. There is a discussion on the BID from a blogger with an interest in the Mill Road area just outside the Cambridge BID area.

Even though Mill Road is not included in the CBBID area it does not mean it wouldn’t be affected by its’ implementation. For example, if businesses in the City Centre get together to network with each other and promote themselves, could Mill Road end up getting left behind? I do hope not. But it’s probably just as well the Council have recently appointed a new Mill Road Co-ordinator, as it looks like we’ll need her help and support to promote Mill Road and ensure that it remains an important part of the City of Cambridge.

Read more here.

Is there any legal basis on which we can contest the BID levy?

Is there any legal basis on which we can contest the BID levy? This was a question asked by someone who contacted us. There are some cases (can’t think of any at the moment) where a BID can be contested but it is not easily done.

In one case in Bayswater in City of Westminster, London small businesses did refuse to pay the BID levy.

Would a “Business Improvement District” be good for Brixton? asks Urban75

The well-known online forum Urban75 has a discussion this month about a proposed Brixton BID. Brixton is in south London, UK, and a very mixed inner city area.

Writer and actor Griff Rhys Jones criticises inner London BID

The London Evening Standard carried an article last week by actor and writer Griff Rhys Jones severely criticising the creation of a business improvement district in his neighbourhood of Fitzrovia near London’s West End. The BID was given the go ahead in July despite  opposition from local residents.

Community is Asheville, North Carolina fears over new BID proposal

‘”Our community is not a mall:” Firestorm criticizes BID, calls for public forum’, says the headline on Mountain Xpress a community news site in  Asheville, North Carolina.