Worcester BID enjoys its most successful ever ballot
Worcester Business Improvement District (BID) enjoyed a landslide ballot this week, with more than 84.9% of city businesses voting in favour of another five-year BID term.
This is the most successful ballot in the BID’s ten-year history, with 51% turnout and a record 84.9% of businesses backing their continued tenure.
The results, released today by Civica Election Services who conducted the independent ballot on behalf of Worcester City Council, show that 332 businesses cast their vote. 282 businesses voted positively, with a combined rateable value of over £17million.
Worcester BID will manage more than £2 million worth of investment over the next five years, building on their success of the last decade which has seen Worcester’s high street footfall grow when other cities have seen significant decline.
Phoebe Dawson, BID CEO, said: “We are beyond delighted with the results of this year’s ballot, which have exceeded expectations and are better than any ballot in the BID’s history.
“The city boasts enviable high street footfall numbers, and new initiatives such as evening food festivals and the pop-up park have been a great boon for the city. We are looking forward to continuing this great work, as well as expanding and improving Worcester’s commercial offering.
“Worcester BID’s success can be attributed to the collaborative approach that partners and stakeholders have taken over the last few years. Thanks to our shared ambition and effective cooperation, the future for the Faithful City looks very bright indeed.”
Nicki Williams, Chair of the BID Board and Deputy CEO of Heart of Worcestershire College, said: “Worcester BID is taking the lead in tackling issues facing the city. Businesses have seen a return on their investment over the last five years and have voted accordingly.
“It’s an exciting time for the city with huge investment planned over the next couple of years. The city centre community is passionate about Worcester and there’s a great feeling of confidence in the future.”
Worcester BID3 will operate from 1st April 2020 for five years. Their work is funded by the levy paid annually by businesses in the BID area and since its formation, BID has provided extensive cost saving and town safety initiatives.
BID’s mandate includes making improvements to the public realm, marketing and events, and other support for businesses. BID provides businesses with a powerful voice, lobbying on key issues from business rates to the town’s car parking strategy.
Worcester BID is incorporated as a company limited by guarantee and its volunteer directors will continue to be drawn from the businesses in the BID area.
Current BID initiatives include Visit Worcester, Safer City, Training courses, Cost Savings and Worcester Cares.
Business Update: Changes to A-Board Policy
In light of the recent introduction of a new countywide Interim Policy for the Management of A-Boards by Worcestershire County Council, we would like to provide you with a useful update to help you adhere to the new A-Board policy.
There are a few small changes that may affect your displays:
- A-Boards must be no more than 1m high and 0.75m wide (previously 1m wide). *
- A-Boards that do not meet the conditions may be removed, without notice, under powers granted by the Highways Act 1980.
- The interim policy is enforced by Worcestershire County Council Officers.
As before, a business may only display one A-Board on the public footway, provided it meets the requirements outlined in the policy. An A-Board per entrance would be allowable where there are clearly distinct entrances at different points. The A-Board must be placed within the frontage of the business, immediately adjacent to (i.e. touching) the front boundary of the business.
Click here to view the full Interim Policy for the Management of A-Boards (2019).
Changes have been made by Worcestershire County Council in light of the Local Transport Plan (LTP4) to align countywide policies. They ensure the city is safe, attractive, easy to navigate and does not contain any unnecessary trip hazards for customers and visitors, in particular the visually impaired, wheelchair users, the less mobile and those with prams, buggies or mobility scooters.
To avoid removal, please ensure to check your business’ A-Board complies with these revised rules.
* Previous dimensions were 1m x 1m, which Worcestershire County Council research and discussions with equalities and highways officers showed was too big. In fact, this was far larger than any other authority in England allows, and almost twice as large as the average. Therefore, the reduced allowable size has been set at 1m high x 0.75m wide – still larger than almost all other authorities. Discussions with City Council have shown that this may mean many A-Boards in Worcester are a few centimetres too wide. It would not be expected that these would be enforced against, under the principle of using enforcement 'proportionate and appropriate to the individual circumstances' (unless of course they broke any of the other rules).
Ask for Angela
Do you and your staff know of the Ask for Angela campaign?
It is the idea that customers can 'Ask for Angela' as a discreet codeword for when they feel unsafe or threatened.
The staff member will then take appropriate action to ensure the customers safety. For instance, these actions could be escorting the customer safely out of the premises or calling a taxi.
While Freshers week the students making their return is fantastic for the city, there is a higher risk of someone becoming vulnerable in your venue. Whether you’re a nightclub, bar, retailer, hotel or an office, you never know when someone might need your help!
Please inform all staff members of this campaign, and feel free to request a poster to put in your venue to help spread the word and inform your customers they have your support.
If you have any queries or would like further information and guidance, please don't hesitate to get in contact.
The Kiln: New Co-working Space in Worcester City
The Kiln, a collaborative community to help entrepreneurs and lone workers, is a friendly and imaginative space to work and provides hot-desking for over 60 people. It has undergone extensive building and renovation work, creating a modern, fresh and practical space for professionals to use as their base, share ideas and network with like-minded people.
Click here to view the whole article.
CityNet event welcomes DISC training and more!
This month saw the inaugural CityNet event for both the day and night-time economies and it was fantastic to see it so well received amongst CityNet members and partners. The meeting covered a variety of hot topics, including a demonstration on DISC, free training courses and workshops and an update on the work we are doing on licensed premises.
DISC is CityNet’s new website and mobile app and the event welcomed Charlie Newman, the app developer, who gave a demonstration on how to use the software and how it can be used to benefit our members. It’s our members one-stop shop for reporting incidents of crime to the scheme, browsing prolific offenders, receiving news and alerts, instant messaging each other and submitting public realm reports. DISC also allows members to report crime directly to the Crime Bureau. With reports ranging from theft, violence to begging and street drinking, this app lets users identify problem areas and authorities to combat these issues.
On top of this exciting app, we are now running weekly Safer Business workshops. The workshops are free for Worcester BID and CityNet members and will go through everything needed to help keep customers, staff and businesses safe. Topics covered will include managing conflict, radio operation, DISC, loss prevention and spotting the signs of suspicious behaviour. The training is perfect for any kind of business, whether you are a retailer, bar, restaurant, salon or office, the workshops will give you and your staff the confidence and tools to effectively handle potential situations.
As well as this, Worcester BID is working alongside the West Midlands Counter Terrorism unit to organise ACT Counter Terrorism training. This one-hour session is free for Worcester BID and CityNet members and comes with an online course which gives attendees a nationally recognised accreditation.
Worcester BID also organises free Customer Service and Social Media courses. The customer service courses cover a range of topics, including ‘Customers with Disabilities’ and ‘Principles of Customer Service’ whilst the social media courses can cater for basic and advanced abilities covering any social media platform out there!
As well as training courses, Worcester BID has been working alongside licensees to improve customer experience and safety through Best Bar None. This accreditation looks to reduce alcohol-related crime and disorder by assessing licensed premises on their responsible management. The assessment period has now begun and, since the CityNet meeting, both Slug & Lettuce and Cote Brasserie have achieved accreditation! Several other businesses will now be looking to follow their lead over the next few weeks, and these venues successes will then be celebrated with a high-profile awards night towards the end of the year!
Thank you to everyone who attended the meeting, to Charlie Newman from DISC for the wonderful training on the system and to the Guildhall for providing such a beautiful venue. We hope that everyone who attended found the event both informative and useful and we will be looking forward to the next one!
If you would like more information on the topics discussed, please contact James Bell on 01905 731 612 or james.bell@worcesterbid.com.
Future High Streets Fund Application Progressing
Worcester's application is amongst 50 additional towns and cities that have been selected to go through to the second round of the Future High Streets Fund
The city was shortlisted for a share of a £1billion government fund to transform high streets and shopping areas. The money could be used in various ways, such as converting empty shops into homes or offices, or improving transport links. As a successful FHS Fund candidate, Worcester's application team will now receive up to £150,000 to develop detailed project proposals that can be submitted for capital funding of up to £25million. The news follows the announcement earlier this year that the city was successful with another bid from the government's Cultural Development Fund, to turn Worcester's railway arches into a business and arts hub.
Read the full article here: