Crunch time for Leamington BID as traders cast their vote

The Business Improvement District (BID)was introduced to the town five years ago.

Companies in the town centre pay an extra levy for the service, and the money is used to organise major festivals, pay for decorations and to promote the town as a tourist desination.

Now it is crunch time for local traders as they decide whether or not to renew the BID service, which is a not-for-profit organisation guided by an elected board of directors made up of retailers representing different sectors in the town.

The BID’s executive director Stephanie Kerr said: “Our primary purpose is to make Royal Leamington Spa a more pleasant place in which to shop, visit, work and live by creating and delivering an agreed set of services and projects funded by local businesses within the BID area.

“It’s a common misconception that all this is paid for by the council, however this is not the case and in these cash-strapped times, without the BID funding all of these events, enhancements and extra services will disappear.”

Leamington is one of 150 towns to have a BID team.

“Over the last five years around £1.5 million has been invested by local businesses, which is perhaps why the town is bucking the trend of declining footfall that is being experienced in other areas,” added Stephanie.

“We know how tough conditions are, especially in retail so we are very pleased that last year we saw a 4.4 per cent increase in visitor numbers against an average decrease of 3.5 per cent outside of London.”

Last year the BID organised the Food and Drink Festival, the Christmas Lantern Parade and paid for other promotions such as floral hanging baskets and the Christmas lights.

Local businesses who contribute to the BID through a levy calculated on their rateable value have until the end of March to cast their votes. The results will be announced on April 2. Visit 
www.bidleamington.com