BATH BID LAUNCHES THIRD FIVE-YEAR TERM

The Bath Business Improvement District (Bath BID) is delighted to launch its third five-year term, following a successful ballot result in February.

The Bath BID is part of a national movement where businesses in a local area vote to pool their resources and support a range of initiatives designed to help their businesses to be more successful. In the Bath BID’s ballot, 89% of eligible businesses voted in favour of a further five-year term for the Bath BID, representing a 40% turnout, allowing the ten-year project to continue until 2026.

The Bath BID is keen to thank all its member businesses for their support during what has been a year of unprecedented challenges for the leisure, retail and office sectors. It has also reaffirmed its commitment to local businesses, creating opportunities to promote the city and supporting the city through its recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

As the organisation moves into its third term, the Bath BID will now commence work on delivering the goals it set out in its new Business Plan. This will focus on four key strategic themes – a Welcoming City, a Smart City, a Connected City, and a Successful City.

The Bath BID has a successful programme of services including the much-loved Rangers and volunteer Welcome Ambassadors. The organisation also provides other direct business benefits including a trade waste discount, business intelligence and city promotion. Within its new five-year plan, the organisation will also be delivering some new projects. Among these will be seven-day-a-week security support for all businesses in the city, free staff training opportunities, a new independent business partnership, and a programme of campaigns, networking and social activities to build links between different sectors in the city.

Allison Herbert, Chief Executive of the Bath BID, said: “We are delighted to be moving into our third five-year term, having had such a positive mandate from the businesses of Bath. We are particularly pleased that despite the difficult circumstances, businesses have placed their trust in the BID to help secure a bright future for Bath.

“The challenges faced in Bath city centre are complex, and the pace of the changes impacting the city has been accelerated by the pandemic. The Bath BID is well-placed to help deal with the challenges and support positive change, help tackle environmental issues, make the best of development opportunities, increase the profile of the city as a place to do business, and improve the quality of life for the people who use the place. Our key aim is to improve our area for the benefit of its users, making it more accessible to more of the communities surrounding Bath and to reflect the principles at the heart of place management – the process of making places better.” Find out more at bathbid.co.uk.