Liverpool companies to vote on new BID proposal

Businesses in the city's commercial district are receiving ballot papers ahead of a vote on a new Business Improvement District status.

More than 800 ratepayers will be balloted on the BID proposal, Liverpool's second after one for the main retail area, which seeks to raise more than £600,000 a year for enhanced marketing, maintenance and physical improvements through a levy equivalent to 1% of rateable value.

A team of BID ambassadors has spent the past six months liaising with businesses about the proposals and an event is being held at Radisson Blu hotel on Monday 9 May, offering landlords and tenants the opportunity to answer any remaining questions about BID status.

The application for BID status has been launched by Liverpool Commercial District Partnership, which says the planned cuts in public spending have created the need for the city's private sector to protect the area's wider interests and leverage potential further investment.

Paul Rice, chief executive of Liverpool CDP, said: "Business Improvement Districts have had an enviable record of success in cities around the world and we are confident that BID status can confer similar benefits on Liverpool's commercial district.

"We have made every effort to ensure that landlords and tenants across the area are fully aware of the nature of a BID and we hope that we have established a robust argument in favour of the application.

"I would urge any ratepayer who still has questions or concerns about BID status to contact us or attend our forthcoming event. A successful BID application will help to deliver successful businesses."

The ballot opens on Friday 29 April and closes four weeks later, on 27 May, with a final decision expected three days later.

The proposed new BID area would be bounded by Leeds Street in the north and James Street in the south and run from west-east from The Strand to Pall Mall, mirroring the boundaries currently controlled by Liverpool CDP.