Business Improvement Districts (BID's)

Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) are a partnership between a local authority and the local business community that develops and implements projects and services that benefit the trading environment and the public realm.

BIDs raise an additional levy on the business rates to raise funds which can be used as leverage to attract match funding.

More information about BIDs

Further details on the background of BIDs is available from the Association of Town Centre Management (ATCM) website.

The Regional Pilot BIDs programme

NWDA has provided support to the development of 8 pilot BID areas in the region. Five of these areas have so far secured positive ballots to develop BIDs. These are Blackpool Town Centre, Keswick Town Centre, Liverpool City Centre, Oldham Town Centre and Altham Industrial Estate. Ongoing development work is underway in Southport and Chester, and a second BID area is being considered in Blackpool on the promenade.

Further details on each of the 8 pilot BID areas can be accessed by clicking on the links below.

Stockport BID
Blackpool BID
Chester BID
Keswick BID
Hyndburn BID
Liverpool BID
Oldham BID
Southport BID

Evaluation of the Pilot Programme

Funding for the pilot programme ended last year. Strategem Consultants were commissioned to undertake an evaluation of the pilot. The evaluation drew upon consultations with all stakeholders with the conclusion that the pilot had been a worthwhile exercise resulting in the following benefits:

The pilot helped to establish five BIDs, with further development work continuing in other areas
The NW is now leading the UK in terms of number of attempted BIDS
Well planned BIDs and BID-piloting activity contributes to other business collaboration and area based improvement projects
The BID Forum is an excellent means of sharing good and bad practice
The pilot has built foundations for improved relationships between the public and private sectors
The pilot has contributed to the national understanding of town centre management models (which has fed into the Department for Communities and Local Government Review.)

Download a copy of the BID Evaluation Report

Toolkit

In addition a toolkit has been produced which is written for business owners and managers who want to understand what BIDs mean for their business.

Download the BID toolkit

Other BIDs in the NW

In addition to the BIDs supported through the pilot programme, two other BIDs have been set up in the region. These are :

Winsford Industrial estate
Bolton Industrial Estates

BIDs Forum

The Forum is open to anyone running or developing or thinking about developing a BID. A programme of events to share information and best practice is being developed with RENEW.