Businesses across Bracknell’s Southern and Western Business Areas have voted in favour of renewing their status as a Business Improvement District (BID) - securing £3.5 million to be spent on continuing to improve the trading environment and represent business interests over the next five years.
This positive result follows many months of planning, in-depth interviews, surveys and a month-long ballot in which businesses in the BID area were asked to vote on the proposals.
85% of votes cast voted in favour of the BID Renewal Ballot by total number of businesses, and 87% of votes cast voted in favour of the BID by Rateable Value. This is an even better result than the previous ballot in 2019.
The BID has provided a range of support to businesses over the last five years. This has included environmental improvements to the area including landscaping, planters, increased lighting, litter cleansing and a mural, improving access to the area including new wayfinding signage, a BID funded shuttle bus and shared cycle scheme and benefits and events for those working in the BID area including weekly fitness bootcamp sessions, business support webinars, BID loyalty card, jobs fair and ‘Meet Your Neighbour’ events.
As a result of the yes vote, the renewal of Bracknell BID will commence on the 1st April 2025 and businesses with a rateable value of £12,001 or above will pay a levy based upon their rateable value, creating a collective fund of more than £3.5 million to spend over the next five years.
The plans were spearheaded and driven by the Board of business representatives from across the BID area, supported by pfbb UK, who develop and deliver Business Improvement Districts across the country.
Speaking about the ‘Yes’ vote, Chair of the BID Maria Sabey, said: “This is fantastic news for Bracknell BID and a huge congratulations must go to all the businesses which rallied and joined forces to ensure we secured a yes vote in our renewal ballot. Thanks must go to all those businesses that engaged in the process by sharing their ideas and opinions on how we can work together to improve the area and who, ultimately, voted in favour of the plans to support each other in these challenging and uncertain times”.
“The BID’s business plan, which businesses were being asked to vote on, has been designed to address the issues which came up during the lengthy consultations with many of the businesses in the BID area, from the small independent businesses to large national and international businesses.”
“The money will now be spent through the two key strategic objectives and their related activities.”
The project team are now looking forward to delivering another five years of initiatives that benefit the levy paying businesses in the area.
BID Business Plan and Prospectus 2025-2030
Your questions answered...
A Business Improvement District (BID) is a defined geographical area within which the businesses vote to invest collectively in local improvements to enhance their trading environment. The mechanism for developing and operating a BID are governed by the BID Regulations 2004 which are part of the Local Government Act 2003.
The BID Business Plan identifies key objectives to be addressed, with the BID team and businesses delivering projects against action plans to fulfil these objectives. BIDs are business led with the Board and Committees consisting of volunteers from BID Businesses.
A key aspect of a BID is to ensure that anything delivered by the BID to the area is additional to any services provided by public bodies. As part of the development of the BID Proposal and Business Plan, baseline statements are drawn up with the Council and the Police, identifying the services they agree to provide during the life of the BID. Establishing close working relationships with the Council, Police authority and other recognised agencies also means that the needs of the local business community can be better understood and acted upon.
There are over 320 established BIDs in the UK operating on a five-year term. Towards the end of each term, a BID can be renewed by proposing a new Business Plan which businesses vote on to confirm whether they would like the BID to continue.
The delivery of the BID business plan is funded by businesses and organisations in business rated properties in the BID area and aims to be both fair and transparent. As a result of the majority of businesses voting in favour of the Business Plan in October 2019, all businesses and organisations in business rated properties in the area with a rateable value of £12,001 and above have been subject to the BID levy. This method of funding overcomes any problem of a few businesses paying for improvements that benefit the many.
Over the last four years Bracknell BID has generated funding through the levy collection and additional funding and in-kind support which has been used to undertake the projects and activities identified by you, the businesses, as part of the BID Business Plan.
Bracknell Investment Group Ltd (the Company for Bracknell BID), is a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee. It has its own board made up of a cross-section of businesses from the BID area who volunteer their time free of charge.
The Board is responsible for ensuring that BID projects and activities are undertaken in accordance with the BID Business Plan and that activities contribute towards the achievement of the overall vision.
Bracknell BID have a dedicated BID Project Team that applies a combination of skills in the delivery of the projects identified by the businesses each year in accordance with the BID Proposal and Business Plan.
In short, this is for you, the Bracknell businesses, to decide. The vision for 2020–25 was ‘‘The Bracknell BID area to be recognised as the place where businesses develop and grow through collaboration and investment.”
As part of the renewal process, we now need to establish the vision and objectives for the next five years. This will be done in the form of interviews, business workshops, and surveys. The findings from these will be used to form the basis of the BID Business Plan for the next five years and on which businesses will be voting in October 2024. This is your opportunity to have a say in helping to identify the key issues and opportunities which businesses want to tackle or take advantage of over the course of 2025–2030.
Subject to a successful renewal ballot, the BID will deliver the changes, improvements and projects over the next five years (2025–2030) which form the Business Plan. The responsibility for ensuring that the BID adheres to the Business Plan as well as remaining financially accountable is that of Bracknell BID Board.
It is also important to remember that the BID does not exist to replace the services provided by Bracknell Forest Council and other public bodies. Money generated through the BID is used for the improvements voted for by the businesses in the BID area and to deliver services which would not have happened without the BID.
The benefits of a BID are numerous but include the following:
> Delivery of practical projects and activities across a range of objectives identified and driven by Bracknell businesses
> Being part of a mechanism to bring businesses together and act as a collective voice
> Having involvement and a focus on encouraging growth, development and investment in the area
> Benefitting from increasingly effective working relationships between the BID, Bracknell businesses and partners, including Bracknell Forest Council
> Leveraging-in of funding and in-kind support in addition to the BID levy and which contributes to projects and activities in the BID area
> A focus on the delivery of measurable improvements to benefit all businesses.
Under the BID regulations the renewal ballot is administered by the Electoral and Democratic Services within the Chief Executive’s Department at Bracknell Forest Council. In order for the proposals set out in the BID Business Plan to go ahead, more than 50% of business ratepayers who vote have to vote ‘YES’. In addition, those in favour also have to represent more than 50% of the combined rateable values of those who vote. If these two criteria are met, the BID is activated for the next five years and all businesses and organisations in business rated properties in the area will be required to pay the BID levy in accordance with the levy criteria.
The new BID Business Plan will be voted on in October 2024 by levy-paying businesses and organisations in business rated properties in Bracknell. The renewal ballot is your opportunity to create and vote ‘YES’ for a new business plan consisting of projects and activities which will maintain and continue to develop Bracknell BID as a great place to do business. If you would like Bracknell BID to continue it is vitally important that you vote ‘YES’ so that your view is registered in the ballot.
If you do not vote yes and the thresholds are not met then the Bracknell BID will cease operations as of 31st March 2025 together with all its associated projects and activities such as the loyalty card scheme, environmental and landscape improvements, Invest in Bracknell events, Meet and Know Your Neighbour events, and further capital investment in schemes such as the wayfinding and CCTV/ANPR and its collective voice for Bracknell businesses will stop.
However, if the BID vote is successful, you will be part of that BID for the next five years regardless of whether you voted or not.