One of Liverpool BID Company’s three bids is up for renewal this spring and a ‘yes’ vote could trigger £10m of fresh investment into the city centre. Tony McDonough reports
Businesses located within the Liverpool Culture & Commerce BID area will this spring vote whether it will continue for another five years.
Liverpool BID Company, which runs the BID, says a ‘yes’ vote is likely to release £10m for the area which will be used to restore city centre squares and to fund a campaign to secure inward investment.
There are three BIDs (Business Improvement Districts) operating in the city centre, each of which come up for ballot every five years. The other two are the Retail and Leisure BID and the Accommodation BID.
There are more than 800 businesses across the three BID areas and they pay a levy to fund the activities of the BIDs, which are not-for-profit entities.
First arriving in Liverpool in 2005, the BIDs offer dedicated street cleaning, networked radios to provide better security and coverage and lobbying and connectivity to those in power, including at a local, regional and national level.
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Funds are also used for events and animation in BID Areas designed to tell the story of particular neighbourhoods, to attract visitors and to help businesses to thrive. Liverpool BID also provides data to help businesses understand how the city centre is performing.
Stretching along Liverpool waterfront, into the Commercial Business District and up to Lime Street, the Culture & Commerce BID Area makes it the historic and heritage heartland of Liverpool.
With a new term running until 2031, the focus will be on encouraging footfall and commuters into the city centre and enhancing the public realm.
Key pledges are:
- Encouraging inward investment to the commercial business district.
- Working with city centre partners to improve wayfinding, utilising digital technology to make it easier to get around the city, with enhanced signposting.
- A team working throughout the week to keep the city centre safe, secure and clean.
- Encourage commuters to make the most out of their days in the office, with a new LIV Card for levy payers, a year-round events programme and partner offers.
- Public realm improvements, including restoring existing city centre squares and exploring new ways to animate public spaces with activities such as markets, public art and events.
- Being an advocate for the city’s businesses, providing a unified voice and a platform at local, regional, national and international level.
Bill Addy, chief executive of Liverpool BID Company, said: “Our pledge to business is to build on the work we’ve done and dedicate time and energy to those elements that make a real difference.
“Improving the public realm is good for business, it is often at the bottom of the list for funders but we see real value in creating spaces for people to enjoy, to enhance our beautiful city and make it a place we can be proud of.
“We invest in keeping it clean and safe, as well as animating our core areas with events and activity. We want to drive more investment by being able to tell the business story, the commercial story that is part and parcel of our everyday working lives.”