On Monday 12 February, Stratford-on-Avon District Council's Cabinet agreed to support and vote in favour of the Business Improvement District for Stratford-upon-Avon.
The ballot runs from 26 January to 22 February 2024, with businesses across the town voting yes or no to Stratford BID's new Business Plan.
The business plan sets out the Bid's aims and ambitions for the next five years on behalf of the town's businesses and is based around the following two themes:
- Theme 1 - Celebrate, Promote and Activate
- Theme 2 - Communicate, Support and Represent
If successful the new BID period will commence from 1 April 2024 and run to 31 March 2029.
The new five-year BID term would represent 382 businesses in Stratford town centre as well as, for the first time, businesses on the Maybird Shopping Park.
All business premises within the proposed boundary that have a rateable value of £15,000 and above will be entitled to vote, as the BID has increased the rateable value, excluding 110 smaller businesses.
Stratford-upon-Avon has held a Business Improvement District status for 15 years, since 2009.
- A Business Improvement District (BID) is a legally prescribed scheme where businesses within a precisely defined geographical area fund local service improvements to enhance their trading environment.
- The Stratford-upon-Avon BID (Strat>forward) was first established in 2009.
- There have been three successful re-ballots in 2009, 2014 and 2019.
- There are some 300 BIDs in the UK, including in other nearby competitor towns/cities such as Royal Leamington Spa, Worcester, Cheltenham, Solihull, Gloucester and Oxford.
