Ulverston renews business district
South Lakeland District Council has approved the renewal of Ulverston’s business improvement district for another term, following a postal ballot.
Ulverston BID was first established in 2015. Projects it has spearheaded or been involved in include the cycling Tour of Britain to the town in 2018; the development of an app for local traders, and the promotion of online marketplaces during the Covid-19 pandemic.
BIDs operate in various locations across the country, with the goal being to promote and improve a geographic area, usually a town centre or specific city district.
When a majority vote is secured to set up a BID, businesses based within them are obliged to pay an additional 1.25% of their business rates into the BID, to cover the cost of services above and beyond those provided by local authorities. There are currently 320-plus BIDs across the country.
Of the total 171 votes cast for Ulverston’s BID, 90 voted in favour of the renewal in the ballot administered by Civica Election Services, according to South Lakeland Council. More than half (£1.26m) of the £2.3m total rateable value of voters’ premises were business ratepayers in the BID locality.
Ulverston BID’s second term will begin next April and run until September 2025.