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Taunton poised to be first South West BID town
Taunton is set to become the first Business
Improvement District (BID) town of its size in the South West, if
businesses vote yes this month (July).
Nearly 800 official ballot forms were posted out this month to town
centre businesses as the final part of a BID campaign that could see
£2 million raised for a raft of improvements and attractions.
Voters have until July 31 to make Taunton the only BID town in the
South West, like neighbouring cities Bristol and Plymouth, and now
Truro, which already have BID areas.
If the vote is successful, funds would provide a dedicated BID
police team for the day and night economies, major marketing and
events to keep and attract shoppers against stiff competition from
nearby cities, state of the art street cleaning, high tech
information kiosks and more.
Many major stores and small independents have championed the Taunton
BID cause, and landlord Standard Life Investment Funds Ltd has just
agreed to pay half the levy for its 46 tenants in the town’s Old
Market Shopping Centre.
“We believe a BID would tremendously boost Taunton town centre and
the businesses here. The outlay for businesses is geared to their
size, yet all have an equal say and benefit in what the BID fund
would deliver,” said Lucy
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Ball, Taunton Town Centre manager, who has been leading the
campaign.
The five year BID plan is based on a 1% levy on the rateable value
of all businesses and organizations in the BID area, and a detailed
Business Plan was sent out to them.
There would also be additional funding from other sources including
the police, Somerset County Council, Taunton Deane Borough Council
and the South West of England Regional Development Agency (RDA)
which invested £70,000 towards the BID campaign.
Taunton BID is part of a national initiative that has seen 40 highly
successful BID areas established in towns and cities around the
country, with many more now in the pipeline.
Caption: Join the queue! Lucy Ball, Taunton Town Centre Manager,
front, is joined by Lib Dem MP Jeremy Brown, second, and other BID
voters as they post their ballots.
For further information about Taunton BID please contact Lucy Ball,
Taunton Town Centre manager on 01823 354299, email
lucy@tauntontowncentre.co.uk or visit the BID web site through
www.tauntontowncentre.co.uk
For further information about this press release please contact Sue
Mitchinson, Taunton BID PR consultant, on 01823 400926, email
sue@something-to-say.co.uk
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