Stratford secures BID Status
Warwickshire County Council is pleased to announce another successful Business Improvement District in Warwickshire.
On 2nd April Stratford-upon-Avon secured BID Status, making this the third town centre BID in the county, alongside Rugby and Leamington Spa, collectively securing £8.5m of BID funds.
The Stratford BID will bring in £1.75m over the five year BID period for a range of projects aimed to improve footfall, business performance and make Stratford a brighter, safer and more vibrant town, 90% of this investment is from business.
There are five main projects to the BID relating to Marketing and Promotion, Festivals and Events, Street Theatre and Entertainment, Town Centre ‘Hosts’, and a Business Support Programme.
The BID will be managed by ‘Strat>Forward’, an independent, not for profit company, controlled by the private sector, working alongside the Stratford Town Management Company and adding value to other town centre services.
Cllr Chris Saint, Warwickshire County Council’s Portfolio Holder for Economic Development, said: "I am delighted that Stratford-upon-Avon businesses have voted strongly for the BID and this can only make a positive contribution to the local economy.
“Town centre businesses are the lifeblood of both the community and the visitor economy. Their contribution to the town provides the opportunities that are needed to help guarantee its prosperity now and in the future."
For the past 5 years, Warwickshire County Council has been facilitating a co-ordinated programme of countywide BIDs, through seedcorn funding, staff expertise and consultancy advice, BIDs Learning Network, Feasibility and Development process with public and private partners working towards common goals.
The Rugby BID secured status in October 2005 as a Clean, Safe and Friendly BID, with a budget of £5m, which is particularly significant for a town of this size.
It includes an integrated security system – state of the art CCTV with ANPR, links with police, day and night business radio systems, rangers and ‘talking cameras’; Street Rangers in their bright red uniforms work as meeters and greeters, eyes and ears with police, provide business support; the specialist Clean Team remove chewing gum and graffiti, steam clean the streets and provide business ‘hit squad’ call out service, all of which are complimentary to services provided by Rugby Borough Council. The BID also provides a marketing and events programme.
BID Leamington secured status in April 2008 and has a budget of £1.75m to spend on Marketing, Events, Promotions, Wayfinding and Business Support. The BID Company and Board were established with a remit of delivering the Business Plan. The BID has already delivered major events, Food and Drink Festival and Christmas Campaign, new Christmas lights, hanging baskets, marketing and promotions, all aimed at increasing footfall and vibrancy, providing improved quality of life and bringing visitors from further afield
BIDs are in development phase at Hams Hall Business Park, seeking to address issues relating to anti social behaviour and crime and in Warwick Town Centre, where a BID Development Manager has been appointed, business consultation underway, prior to determining the BID Projects, Business Plan and the Electoral Campaign. It is anticipated that these BIDs will go to ballot during 2009.
BIDs are just one part of the Regeneration Toolkit, they can improve the local Quality of Life, Community Safety, Vitality and Feelgood Factor. BIDs are tailor made for individual locations, they cannot ( and should not ) replace Council Services. They bring about new ways of Partnership Working putting the Business Community in the driving seat. At a time of economic recession, it is important that BIDs are at the forefront and Local Authorities doing their part to help make them happen, considering how they can add value to support economic, social and physical investment and innovative ways of partnership working.
There are now BIDs in Rugby, Leamington Spa and Stratford Upon Avon and BIDs in Development phase in Hams Hall Business Park, Coleshill and Warwick Town Centre, all of which are likely to bring about £10m of new investment to the area as a whole to help the economic vitality of the County and help deal with competition from outside.