Issue - meetings

The Centres’ Manager presented a report on the subject of a proposed ballot for the Redditch Business Improvement District (BID) area. Members were advised that the BID had come to the end of its first five-year term and a ballot for businesses was needed to establish whether the BID should continue.  Local businesses within the BID levy area, including the Council, were currently being consulted on their views after which a proposed five-year business plan would be submitted to the local authority. Members were being invited to support the BID and to vote in favour of Council owned property within the Town Centre taking part.

Following the presentation of the report, Members praised the Redditch BID for the work that had been undertaken in the town centre to date.  Questions were raised about the level of business rates that a company needed to pay before it would be eligible to pay the levy.  Officers clarified that the levy applied once companies were paying business rates in excess of £7,500 per annum.

Reference was made to the income that the Redditch BID would receive from the levy and Officers were asked to clarify how this compared to the income that had been received when the levy was first introduced.  The Committee was informed that the levy would provide the Redditch BID with an income of circa £260,000 per year, which was similar to the level of income that had been received in 2019.  However, Members were asked to note that it was proposed that the area in which the BID would operate should be extended to incorporate some additional businesses from which income would be received in the form of levy payments.

RESOLVED

1)          that a position on the vote in favour of the BID regarding the Council’s hereditaments in the Town Centre be agreed;

2)          to delegate authority to the Head of Planning, Regeneration and Leisure Services, following consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Planning, Economic Development, Commercialism and Partnerships to:

a)          submit a response to the BID consultation; and

b)          exercise the Council’s vote in favour of the proposed BID in the ballot subject to NO conflict between the proposed BID Business Plan and Council Policy/Strategies.