Council has concerns over Bedford BID's ability to deliver services that make a "real difference"

Bedford Borough Council has concerns about BedfordBID’s ability to deliver services that will make a “real difference” to the town centre’s vitality and sustainability.

A Business Improvement District (BID) is an arrangement where local businesses plan how to improve their own trading environment by “identifying projects or services that will add value”.

As a potential BID levy payer, business ratepayer, billing authority, and provider of services within Bedford town centre, the council needs to consider the role and value of the current BID in terms of the future vitality of the town centre, and determine how it wishes to vote in the forthcoming ballot.

The Executive was told that the council has 29 votes out of “almost 400”

Councillor Andrea Spice (Conservative, Wixams & Wilstead), the portfolio holder for economic growth, planning and prosperity, said: “I want to be clear that this is not the decision for the entire vote.

“This is the decision that we are making, or the recommendation that we are making, for the council’s vote,” she said.

The ballot is a secret vote, but as the borough council is a public organisation councillor Spice said it was “right to be transparent”.

“I would also like to say that despite any speculation that you may have heard, that is not a report for a campaign for a no vote,” she added.

“We know that there was a low voter turnout last time, and we are actively encouraging through our social media outlets for levy payers to vote, no matter how they want to vote.

“But to just use their vote,” she said.

Councillor James Weir (Conservative, Great Denham), the deputy mayor, asked whether the majority was the most number of votes cast, or the total size of the rateable value for the votes cast.

Lee Phanco, the interim monitoring officer, said: “It’s got to be both, it’s got to be a majority of votes and the majority of rateable value.”

The recommendations for the Executive were to note the content of the current BedfordBID proposal, and that the BID proposer has confirmed that it will pay ballot costs of £2,500

To agree to vote against supporting the BedfordBID proposal in respect of each of the council’s eligible rateable hereditaments [properties that are or may be liable to a rate, such as business rates] in the BID area at the time of the vote, and to delegate authority to the chief officer for planning, infrastructure & economic growth to cast votes on behalf of the Council.

To note that, if the BedfordBID ballot results in a renewed BID, the annual BID levies in the region of £39,000 will be payable by the council, based on the current number of assessments and rateable values.

And to agree that the council, as billing authority, will charge to the BID Revenue Account the cost of collecting the BID levy at an initial estimated cost of £15,000 per year, which will be reviewed annually.

The Executive agreed to the recommendations.