Crewe Town Council has announced the successful creation of a Business Improvement District (BID) in Crewe
A Business Improvement District in Crewe has been a long-term ambition for the town centre and the creation of the BID will result in £1.6 million of investment managed by businesses for businesses to deliver:
- An expanded programme of events and activities
- Projects to create a cleaner, greener and safer Crewe for visitors, customers and businesses
- An impactful five-year marketing and promotion campaign to connect over 200,000 consumers with the message “Crewe is changing for the better”
- Championed change and enhancements for the BID businesses in Crewe town centre, Nantwich Road, Grand Junction Retail Park and its surrounding area
Crewe Town Council commissioned and oversaw Groundwork Cheshire to initiate the development process earlier this year. During this period they listened to local businesses and organisations and what they wanted from a BID in Crewe. The BID Business Plan was developed in close collaboration with the BID businesses before the Proposal went to referendum. Groundwork was appointed by Crewe town council to develop and deliver:
- A Crewe BID Feasibility Study (in 2021/22) which identified the opportunity for a BID in Crewe.
- A Crewe BID Development project, which developed the proposal for a BID in Crewe and culminated in the successful ballot result with two thirds of companies voting to approve the BID.
The BID will drive forward ambitions to create an improved experience for visitors to Crewe and deliver projects that create a safer, cleaner and greener Crewe.
Greville Kelly, Director at Groundwork said ‘Groundwork are delighted to have supported local businesses and Crewe town council to establish the town’s first Business Improvement District (BID). The BID will provide local businesses with an important opportunity to have a stronger say in the development of Crewe. It will drive forward ambitions to create an improved experience for visitors to Crewe and deliver projects that create a safer, cleaner and greener Crewe, whilst enabling new opportunities for local businesses to create stronger and more impactful business networks and communities.’
BID organisations were given the opportunity to vote for and against the BID Proposal and thanks to the cooperation between Crewe Town Council and the BID businesses, the result of the ballot was a resounding success with 67% of eligible local businesses voting voted in favour of the BID. A new BID company will now be formed with board representatives from across the levy paying community to deliver on the plans.
A representative from Crewe Town Council said:
We are delighted to welcome Crewe BID to the table and look forward to working with them. This puts a significant resource into local hands and will give local businesses a voice and influence in the town’s regeneration.
What is a BID?
Business Improvement Districts are business-led partnerships which are created through a ballot process to deliver additional services to local businesses.
They can be a powerful tool for directly involving local businesses in local activities and allow the business community and Crewe Town Council to work together to improve the local trading environment. A levy will be charged on all business rate paying businesses to fund the BID and the business plan includes realistic targets for additional fundraising to enhance the proposition.
