Three areas say ‘yes’ to five more years of business support

News Article

Business owners have been handed a multi-million-pound boost following successful ballots to renew the status of three separate Business Improvement Districts for an additional five years.

Following a ‘yes’ vote from businesses in Luton and Stourbridge town centres, plus Bracknell’s commercial area, companies in all three areas can benefit from a combined £6.6million package of support, guidance and project delivery from a team dedicated to helping local areas flourish.

The news is a much-needed tonic for business owners in the wake of the recent Budget announcement, and will ensure they have a collective voice to influence key local issues and deliver projects and initiatives which directly impact upon their profitability and productivity.

The company responsible for developing all three successful BID ballots is Partnerships for Better Business (pfbb UK), a Derby-based company which has been managing, developing and renewing BIDs since they started in 2005.

Ian Ferguson, Strategy and Development Director of pfbb UK, said: “We are delighted we have been able to support businesses who want to help themselves at a time when employers are faced with so many economic pressures.

“There will no doubt be understandable uncertainty for many business owners following the Budget and we’re pleased to give business owners vital reassurance that they will now be able to reap the rewards of being part of a successful BID area for another five years.

“These BIDs bring businesses together to deliver all sorts of benefits to the area in which they operate that simply would not happen otherwise.”

Ian was an expert in the Government’s High Street Task Force, which provided support to 140 town and city centres across the country with a range of initiatives including a review and assessment of their key challenges, creating place management delivery plans, support in place marketing, partnership working and delivery of low cost and quick win initiatives to regenerate their places.

More than 320 BIDs now operate across the UK, working on marketing and promotion of the place, delivering events and improving the overall experience of the place to drive footfall and sales for consumer-facing businesses.

BIDs can also help to deliver schemes such as introducing wayfinding, CCTV and ANPR coverage, crime intelligence sharing and initiatives and schemes to support the welfare of staff such as health checks, free gym sessions and staff loyalty schemes.

Mr Ferguson added: “The pfbb UK team has developed, renewed, supported and managed more than 50 different towns, cities and industrial estates over the years and we have seen the difference it makes.

“Business owners are able to have their voice heard at the highest level while areas benefit from increased footfall, an uptick in consumer spending and an events programme aimed at encouraging people to visit their local town centre.

“Our BIDs also leverage in funding to support a range of initiatives such as funding from Innovate UK to deliver carbon reduction initiatives to an industrial estate to Arts Council grants for events and art projects, funding from local Police and Crime commissioners offices to deliver business crime initiatives such as crime intelligence sharing. These funds are in addition to the levies raised by businesses themselves.”

The BIDs developed and managed by pfbb UK have repeatedly earned industry recognition, including awards for High Street of the Year and BID of the Year.