Some Questions Answered

Who is behind the Skipton BID?
Anyone can apply for the creation of a Business Improvement District (BID). Skipton Chamber of Trade & Commerce has agreed to formulate its own BID to enhance an environment for better economic performance in the town. It has appointed Ian Lockwood, former editor of the Craven Herald as a co-ordinator to bring a vote to fruition.

What will a Skipton BID do?
Over the coming months businesses will be asked what sort of things they would like doing in Skipton to improve the town and create a better trading environment. It may mean cosmetic changes to the town, it may mean marketing the town better to the rest of the country, it may be spending money on Christmas lights or festivals. It will be up to the businesses in the town to decide the priorities.

How will it be paid for?
If the vote for a BID is successful, then the funds will be raised by a mandatory levy on the Business Rates. If the proposal is to seek a levy of 1 per cent on Business Rateable values, then this would raise in excess of £500,000 over five years.

If I vote against a BID, do I have to pay the levy?
Yes. All business ratepayers within the geographical area set down by the BID must pay if the vote is successful. All business ratepayers who would pay a levy in the BID have a vote on the projects proposed. The ballot will have to meet two tests:

• First, a simple majority (above 50%) of those voting must vote in favour.

• Second, those voting in favour must represent a majority of the aggregate rateable value of the hereditaments (properties). Put at its most simple, this means that if your business property has a rateable value of, say, £4,000, then you would have 4,000 votes. A large store may have a rateable value of £400,000 and would have 400,000 votes. When all these votes are added together, more than half must be in favour of a BID.

What if I don't vote?
Just like a General Election, if you do not use your vote, then it will not be counted. The ballot needs to acquire 50 per cent of votes cast, not 50 per cent of those eligible to vote.

Isn't this just a way for the council to squeeze more money out of us?
Money raised through a BID Levy cannot be used to subsidise existing council services. The projects proposed will be beyond what Skipton's local authorities already take responsibility for. Both Craven District Council and Skipton Town Council cannot intervene and divert funds from the BID for its own projects.

Craven District Council may be a major contributor to any BID Levy.

How will money from any BID be administered?
The management and operation of the Skipton BID will be undertaken by a company limited by guarantee. All businesses in the BID area will be eligible to join "Skipton BID Ltd" and appoint its directors. The Skipton BID board will completely control the funding and activities in the BID area.

The Levy will be collected by Craven District Council alongside the normal Business Rates and handed over directly to the limited company to bring its projects to fruition.

Has anywhere else got a BID in place?
So far there have been 63 successful BID votes in England and Wales and 13 unsuccessful. Some were for large industrial estates only. Some have been large town centres (Croydon, Ipswich, Hull) but some have been for small towns similar to Skipton (Truro, Keswick, Sleaford).

In Keswick there were 15 projects chosen by the business community incorporated into the BID process more than £450,000 will be spent over five years on projects such as funding a marketing and publicity campaign for the town, tidying up alleyways leading off the main Market Place, providing Christmas lights, producing a series of town trails, paying for specialist training and services for BID area businesses, paying for a pilot park and ride scheme in Keswick during the busiest months of the year, developing and promoting summer festivals, installing new finger posts to direct visitors

Click here to view the Business Plan