Member Article

Northumberland County Council backs £1.2m Hexham BID

A new £1.2m business improvement district (BID) in Hexham has been given the backing of Northumberland County Council.

By voting yes, the council is confirming it will provide direct funding of about £55,000 via the annual BID levy on 21 eligible council properties in Hexham. This is one of the largest single contributions to the collective funding the BID will create.

The council will be one of about 600 local businesses in Hexham to go to the poll in January 2016 to decide whether to create the Hexham BID, the first scheme of its kind in Northumberland, joining more than 200 other towns and cities successfully operating BIDs in the UK.

With a yes vote the Hexham BID will usher in a new phase of additional growth and development in the town. The £1.2m ring-fenced funding will provide resources for the next five years to deliver a raft of improvements in the town.

The funding will be raised through an annual levy charge on eligible businesses in the town. The levy for about 75% of companies will equate to £200 per year, or just £3.85 per week.

The council has made this decision well in advance of the ballot following a review of the BID business plan, which is now available online and will be sent to every eligible business in advance of the vote.

The money raised by the BID will be used exclusively in Hexham through a brand new local business-led, not-for-profit organisation. It will fund a wide range of major projects and services focused on what companies say is important to them, and will ultimately benefit the whole town for businesses, residents and visitors alike.

The BID will fund and support a host of new projects adding value to existing services, including those of the council. This includes new investment in signage around the town, measures to address access issues to industrial estates, new events and marketing campaigns, investment in services to improve the quality and cleanliness of key locations, a dedicated town centre manager to pull together investment and support and new town ambassadors to improve the visitor offer.

During the past year, the council has got behind a local group of volunteers who are organising the BID and who have held regular open sessions to engage as many local companies in the development of the proposals as possible.

The voluntary BID steering group includes a wide range of businesses from the town centre and industrial estates, Hexham Business Forum, Hexham Town Council and Hexham Community Partnership.

Northumberland County Council has also confirmed that it will run the postal ballot for the BID and, subject to a yes vote, operate the levy collection services for the BID thereby ensuring all the national procedures related to a BID are adhered to.

Cllr Allan Hepple, cabinet member for economic growth at Northumberland County Council, said: “The potential of the BID is there for Hexham to grasp with a yes vote this January. Big cities like Newcastle-upon-Tyne and towns like Penrith have all shown this approach can work for them.

“There is the prize of £1.2million dedicated funding to invest completely into Hexham. This will be directed not from afar, but by local leadership within the business community.

“It was an easy choice for the council to make in supporting this because our focus is on creating local jobs and growth in every part of the county. I hope businesses will take time to review the proposals, attend one of the remaining events or drop in sessions or simply get in touch. That way businesses can see for themselves what the direct practical benefits are in the proposals and then vote yes in January 2016 to support new and additional growth in Hexham.”

Malcolm Eglin, chair of Hexham Business Improvement District and owner of Malcolm Eglin Antiques Ltd said: “It’s fantastic news to receive the backing of the council at this key moment in the development of the BID.

“This signals a significant commitment to Hexham’s future prosperity on the council’s part. A lot of business people have given their time and energy to get us to this point and all that remains is to encourage the business community to vote yes in January 2016. There are lots of ways to enquire and ask questions about the BID and all the contact details and information about events are on our website.”

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