Leading the BID industry
Leading the BID industry
August has been slightly slower on the ballot front, very much as usual. We congratulate Witham Industrial Estate, Eastbourne, Redditch and Great Yarmouth on their successful ballot results. Both Redditch and Eastbourne are new BIDs and Eastbourne was a recipient of Bb/MHCLG loan funding; both are especially welcomed to the BID community.
One useful outcome this month has been the confirmation of Jake Berry as Minister of State for the Northern Powerhouse and Local Growth, on the accession of Boris Johnson as Prime Minister. Jake was promoted to Minister of State, with attendance at cabinet meetings. It will be good to have some continuity at a time of some change in government. The formal notice is here.
The night-time economy covers a wide range of activities from a trip to the theatre or a family meal, to a night out at a club. Night-time economies are an important part of our towns and cities and are estimated to bring in over £60 billion to the UK economy every year. The Local Government Association has produced an excellent report on Approaches to managing the night-time economy. Eleven case studies provide a useful tool for looking at ways to manage the night-time economy. The case studies bring together examples of initiatives driven by councils and their partners, including ten BIDs, which have sought to address the issues they have faced locally. Whilst these issues may differ, the mechanisms for addressing them are likely to be similar and so we hope this is a useful resource for councils looking at ways to strengthen and improve the management of the night-time economy. The report is here to download and is a great celebration of the BID industry.
Much work is happening on the future of the high street but one that is particularly interesting is that Power to Change has contracted the New Economics Foundation to develop a policy position for the high street to foster community involvement and community business activity within the context of the regeneration agenda. Bb are on the Advisory Group whose purpose is to support, inform and advocate for the project to arrive at an informed position on high streets which contributes significantly to the current and future debate and supports the case for community business as an important part of the mix of a thriving and resilient high street. The group is looking at the issues of how to acquire high street property and then curate to maximise the local experience. The reports will be available here.
Public free city-wide Wireless is becoming all important to most BIDs and their business communities. There are an increasing number of innovative and exciting projects being led by BIDs across the country. Falmouth, New West End, Winchester, Kirkcaldy4All, Cardiff amongst others are all making use of intermediaries such as BT, Rapier, Openreach, Elephantwifi or WiFi SPARK and many of the providers are available on the Bb suppliers portal. Do please take a look.
The current group of Certificate in BID Management students are working on their projects – topics ranging from “What can be learnt from bad art?” to “Do the benefits of pedestrianisation outweigh the loss of vehicular access for local businesses?” the projects are presented to an industry panel on September 26th and the successful students join us on November 7th to receive their Certificates at the Bb Annual Conference in Cambridge. The next cohort of the CiBM starts on 11th February and if you would like to join us do please contact Drew@britishbids.info
The deadline for National BID Award entries is Friday 30th August. The full details are on our website here. If you have any queries, please do get in touch.
Finally, do join us for our free BIDs Management and Operations Forum at City Hall, London on Monday 16th September, when we are teaming up with the GLA. This event will be an opportunity to hear about the work the GLA is undertaking to protect and grow cultural infrastructure and the role data mapping plays in this process. There will also be a discussion around the night-time economy and the role of BIDs, including the implications of late-night levies, MHCLG will talk about the challenges and opportunities for High Streets and the part that BIDs play in this. Retail Analyst Andrew Busby, contributor to 'Forbes' and 'Retail Week' and the founder of Retail Reflections will also debate the ‘Death of the High Street’. South Bank BID will also be discussing the evolution of BIDs and how they continue to grow in ambition to face a new business landscape. We hope that you can join us for this event which will be sure to stir debate and discussion and also provide time to catch up and network with colleagues. Again, to book your place please contact Drew on 0845 112 0118 or email drew@britishbids.info 
Professor Christopher Turner, Chief Executive, British BIDs
