“Yes” to a Business Improvement District (BID) for York

1st December 2015

Businesses in York vote ‘yes’ to BID: Businesses in York have voted “yes” to a Business Improvement District (BID) for the city centre after a year of consultation. 76% of businesses, by number, were in favour, and 80% of businesses by rateable value agreed.

The BID will be business-led, but has the backing of City of York Council and York’s destination management organisation Make it York. This means that a not-for-profit BID company will be formed, and a £4m fund will be created from the proceeds of the BID levy to spend on projects over the next five years. There will be a 1% levy on the rateable value of each business premise in the city centre. York BID chairman Adam Sinclair told The Business Desk: “I am delighted so many businesses and professions have voted to back our proposal. This gives the York BID a clear mandate to make improvements to York city centre over the next five years. We will now respond to our members and focus on street cleaning, rubbish collection, safety, the public realm, car parking, Christmas lights, street events and the evening economy. York city centre is ambitious but needs to inspire and satisfy its marketplace and thereby attract fresh investment.” The team will now begin setting up the York BID, recruiting a director and preparing to start delivering services from next April.