Decision details

Councillor Eamonn O’Brien, the Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Finance and Growth, presented the report regarding the proposal to develop a Business Improvement district (BID). Councillors agreed this was an exciting opportunity to strengthen business partnerships in Bury.

Decision:

Cabinet:

1.   Approved a ‘Yes’ vote in the Business Improvement District (BID) ballot; and

2.   Delegated the exercising of the Council’s vote to the Monitoring Officer.

That, in the event of an overall ‘Yes’ vote in the BID Ballot, Cabinet:

1.   Note the Council’s role in the collection of the annual BID levy on behalf of the BID Company;

2.   Instruct the Monitoring Officer to undertake the legal arrangements for the Council to entering into the Operating Agreement between Bury Council and the Bury BID Company; and

3.   Approve the intention for the Council to be represented on the Bury BID Board of Directors by the Executive Director of Place.

Reasons for the decision:

The benefits that a BID would bring to the town centre include:

·         Helping to enhance and promote the town centre to visitors, residents and investors by generating additional resources to support activity that would otherwise not be delivered and which would work alongside the Council’s own investment in the regeneration programme.

·         Helping to deliver key Council ambitions, such as those expressed through the ‘Let’s Do It’ Strategy and the emerging Bury Town Centre Masterplan.

·         The establishment of a Town Centre Management function, including a BID Manager and associated staff to provide an onsite resource for businesses and town centre users.

·         Enabling formal partnership working between stakeholders in the BID area to support the more effective use of these additional resources.

It is considered that the benefits that the BID will bring to Bury town centre will outweigh the financial cost to the Council.

Other options considered and rejected:

For the Council not to vote in favour of the BID. However, this option has been

discounted on the basis that it would not deliver the considerable benefits identified above.