BID ballot will be held early next year

The businesses on the Steering Group for the town centre BID have set the BID ballot for early next year. It will be a month-long postal ballot and each business will have exactly the same vote, regardless of size. If a majority vote yes, the town centre will benefit from an investment of around £3M over the next five years on projects chosen by the businesses themselves. This will include:

• A major marketing push, raising awareness and bringing more people into the town centre through new and improved events, promotions and professional, sustained advertising.
• A team of dedicated Town Centre Rangers, providing a friendly welcome and addressing anti-social behaviour issues.
• Improvements to the signage and mapping, ensuring visitors can find your business easily.
• Improvements to the physical environment including a cleaning ‘hit squad’ to tackle grime hot-spots, graffiti, chewing gum and similar issues.

In opting for a ballot early next year, the steering group aim to give businesses the space to concentrate on the vital Christmas trading period, but still allow those who haven’t yet got involved with the BID the time to have their say.

Every eligible business will receive a Business Plan before the vote setting out exactly how much the BID will raise, how the money will be ringfenced and it will be invested, on projects chosen by Bournemouth businesses.

The Bournemouth Town Centre Business Improvement District is a business-led initiative with projects chosen by you, and specifically designed to increase footfall, increase dwell time in the town centre and improve your profits.