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Getting down to brass tacks with the police or examining the
finer points of a nifty cleaning machine – it’s all in a day’s work
for town centre manager Lucy Ball.
Lucy is preparing a draft action plan for Taunton town centre, as
part of the Business Improvement District (BID) campaign, and town
centre businesses will be voting in just a few months on becoming a
BID area.
“The final plan will be extremely specific, so I’m piecing together
all the costs and details now. We want to make sure businesses are
fully in the picture about what Taunton BID can do for them,” said
Lucy.
Current work for Taunton town centre’s BID plan includes:
- ongoing discussions with Avon and Somerset Police on employing a
dedicated town centre police team
- research into buying and operating costs for a “fantastic”
cleaning machine
- possibilities of different types of signing
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- quotes for extending the Christmas lights to other parts of the
town centre
- cost and feasibility of vertical banners for the town’s East Reach
entrance .
“We’ll provide the full details, but businesses themselves will
choose what they want if they vote in favour of becoming a BID,”
said Lucy.
Taunton is the first town of its size in the South West to be chosen
to campaign for BID status, following a successful first round of
BID campaigns in towns and cities nationally (which included parts
of Bristol and Plymouth).
BIDs are a government initiative to help chosen town centres
regenerate themselves. Through a small levy on all businesses within
the BID area, thousands of pounds are raised for improvements that
businesses choose themselves.
For more information please ring Lucy Ball, Town Centre Manager, on
01823 354299, email
lucy@tauntontowncentre.co.uk or visit the BID web site through
www.tauntontowncentre.co.uk
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