Share

Business Improvement District (BID) approved

Bob Collier, Chief Executive of Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce said it was a very welcome result: “This is a very clear ‘yes’ vote. Businesses in Aberdeen realise that given the current pressures on public finances they have to step forward and take a strong role in being positive about the future of our city centre.

The fact that they are willing to pay an extra one percent in rates to help make Aberdeen city centre a place we can all be proud of shows their commitment to that. This is an excellent example of the public and private sectors coming together to work towards a common goal. The BID team put together a very strong business proposal to win this support and we now look forward to the next step when this starts to translate into actions.”

Proposals to establish a Business Improvement District (BID) in Aberdeen have been approved by city centre businesses.

Aberdeen City Council's Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure Committee agreed unanimously in May to hold a postal ballot of one vote per eligible businesses from 23 June with ballot papers to be returned by 04 August.

The results are as follows:

• Number of YES Votes182

• Number of NO Votes109

• Total Number of Votes 291

• Aggregate Rateable Value of YES Votes £27,274,500

• Aggregate Rateable Value of NO Votes £16,562,500

• Total Number of Eligible Voters 516

• Total Number of Eligible Voters Responding 216

• Percentage Poll 41.86%

• Total Rateable Value of YES and NO votes £43,837,000

• Total Electorate Rateable Value £88,419,500

• Percentage Poll – Rateable Value 49.58%

Three ballot papers were unsigned and therefore rejected.

The BID will become operational in October. The criteria for a successful "yes" vote were:

• those voting in favour should outnumber those against;

• the aggregate rateable value of those voting in favour should be greater than that of those voting against;

• more than 25% of eligible voters should take part in the ballot;

• the total rateable value of all those voting should exceed 25% of the combined rateable value of the total electorate.

The creation of a BID will reinforce a partnership between Aberdeen City Council and the business community to deliver projects which benefit trade by boosting the promotion of the city centre, improving its services and enhancing its fabric and environment.

Eligible businesses within the BID footprint will pay a levy of 1% of their non-domestic rateable value annually. The money will be collected by Aberdeen City Council and passed to the Aberdeen BID Development Co Ltd – which will plough the proceeds into special programmes and environmental improvements.

Projects will focus on promotion, cleansing and litter, public safety and CCTV, public toilets, signage, waste management, parking, transport, roads maintenance, events, festive lighting and street trading.

The initiative is expected to raise about £3.5 million for projects over the BID's initial five-year lifespan, after which businesses will be balloted again to discover if a majority want it to carry on.

Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure convener Councillor Kate Dean said: "By backing the creation of a BID essential additional funding for the city centre will be raised, which will enable the creation of a more vibrant, safe and attractive city centre.

"Now we can look forward to significant improvements over the five-year life of the project. We are confident that we the council, working together with the business community, can create an even more exciting city centre that becomes the envy of others."

Aberdeen BID Project Director David Halliday said: "Aberdeen businesses have voted to help make our city centre more vibrant, prosperous, safe and attractive by stimulating the city centre economy, improving how it looks and promoting it more effectively.

"We are delighted that the ballot for the BID has been overwhelmingly positive. We can now get down to the business of delivering the plan and making sure our members, all those in the BID footprint and the wider community benefit from tangible improvements."

BIDs have been successfully created across the UK in recent years, including in Edinburgh, Inverness and Falkirk.