A local campaigner who wants to create a better Bedford town centre says change is needed at the top at BedfordBID if they are going to restore faith in their ability to support businesses who pay for their services.
Tim Edwards has set up the ‘A Better BID for Bedford‘ campaign saying that, while the idea behind Business Improvement Districts can really benefit Bedford town centre, the management team currently in place is not doing what they’re supposed to.
A Business Improvement District (BID) is a company set up to deliver various services, the main priority being the promotion of Bedford town centre so people are encouraged to come to the area and support the shops, cafes, bars, restaurants and other businesses there.
BedfordBID does this under their Love Bedford brand.
They also look after other things such as crime prevention, networking events for businesses, training, and cost-saving initiatives.
These services are paid for by a legally required levy on businesses that have a rateable value over a certain amount. The BID is supposed to look after all businesses in their zone whether they are required to pay a levy or not.
BIDs are required to hold a ballot every five years to determine if businesses still want them to provide these services or not. So far, BedfordBID has been in place for four terms and in October they’ll find out if there is enough confidence in them to enter a fifth term.
Tim believes there is no longer any confidence in the management at BedfordBID. He says, “Bedford businesses have had enough of the lack of transparency in how they [BedfordBID] spend levy payers’ money, the lack of passion in promoting the town, and the lack of modern ideas.”
His comments come after Cllr Andrea Spice (Conservative/Wixams and Wilstead) the Portfolio Holder for Economic Growth, Planning and Prosperity said she was going to recommend Bedford Borough Council votes ‘no’ in the forthcoming BedfordBID renewal ballot.
Calls for chair and CEO to step down
“I’m not against the concept of a BID, I believe that the businesses of the town working together, sharing best practices, promoting the town in collaboration and supporting one another is a good concept,” said Tim
“But, for us, in Bedford, this is not the experience we as businesses have of our BID.”
Tim is now calling for those in charge of the current BedfordBID to step aside and let someone else take the reigns to help invigorate faith in the BID idea for the benefit of Bedford Town Centre.
“Fundamentally, I would be looking to see change, more inclusive practices, more transparency, more communication from the team about the activities they’re pursuing and more statistics and data about the impact of their work on the town centre and businesses.
“They would need to persuade me that they understand this and are open to inviting more businesses into the fold and embracing new ideas and strategies for Bedford Town Centre.
“If the current Chair and CEO of the BedfordBID were to step down I believe that would indicate that the organisation was willing to change and open to embracing new ideas and strategies.”
At present, the current Chair of BedfordBID Sam Laycock has been in position for nine years.
Tim was very clear that his calls for change weren’t personal, but that he feels that the BedfordBID chair term should be kept to three years, to keep ideas flowing and fresh. The board can then be led to deliver what’s needed in Bedford as challenges evolve.
“Nine years is a very long time for any voluntary chair to be in a post, and the CEO has served for longer, it’s time for fresh faces at the BedfordBID,” said Tim.
“A BID has the opportunity to bring together the businesses in its area, to liaise with the town’s stakeholders, to deploy budget to tackle particular challenges and to provide a central point around which the town and its businesses can coalesce.
“It can represent the opinions of the businesses and campaign for them to be more included while informing them of upcoming opportunities. The upsides of a good BID can, in my opinion, be positive.
“With the opportunities Bedord has surrounding upcoming projects such as Universal and EWR now is the time to have a strong voice representing the businesses,” he added.
We put the calls for the Chair and CEO to step down to BedfordBiD, asking if they had considered doing so, but they did not respond to that question.
We asked Cllr Spice if she would withdraw her recommendation for the council to ‘vote no’ if there were changes to the management team at BedfordBID.
She said, “This is not a recommendation based on personal opinion. The council have a formal process that includes dates for decisions which we are working to. But, the council are not the only voters. There are nearly 400 businesses that will make the decision.”
Money not being spent
Tim has also highlighted what he feels is an irresponsible hoarding of levy payer’s money, with over £400,000 sitting in BedfordBID’s bank account.
“As a business owner, we were being billed nearly £3,000 a year in a start-up business with no marketing budget and rightly we wanted to understand how that money was being spent and what benefit that would bring to our business.
“Unfortunately, those simple concerns were never really addressed by the Operational Team or the Directors of the [BedfordBID] business.
“Our requests and ideas for the sort of activity we would have liked to see and felt would value our business was never realised,” Tim says.
Tim has now asked why BedfordBID is sitting on cash that should be being spent on the services struggling local businesses think they’re paying for.
According to the final financial statements (accounts) 2022/23 published on the BedfordBID website, they had £342,432 in retained earnings at the start of 2022. This rose to £407,357 by the end of 2023.
We asked BedfordBID why there is a large amount of cash in their accounts and what they plan to do to protect the money if their renewal is not approved. They did not respond to that question.
Council loses faith
On Wednesday, we broke the news that Bedford Borough Council had also lost its faith in those currently running BedfordBID.
In a report due to be discussed at the next Council Executive, the council says that they are disappointed in BedfordBID’s plan for a fifth term saying that the Business Plan offers just more of the same and is not driving the town forward.
‘The current BID focuses too narrowly in both its geographic breadth and the depth of its involvement with the town’s vital independent business sector,’ says the report.
The council also shares Tim’s concerns about the governance of the current BID, highlighting that the board hasn’t met for almost a year which restricts discussions on the direction of the current BID.
This hasn’t been helped by the fact that the last published BedfordBID Board Meeting minutes were in 2022 and the last meeting date was 16 October 2023.
‘It is noted in the Business Plan for BID5 that more meetings will be held but there is no commitment on the frequency of meetings for the forthcoming current BID term despite this being requested by the Council’, said the council’s report on the BID renewal.
Cllr Andrea Spice (Conservative/Wixams and Wilstead) the Portfolio Holder for Economic Growth, Planning and Prosperity will now ask the council to vote “no” against a renewal of BedfordBID
The plans, dubbed BID5, “do not offer our town centre what we expect it to and so we are voting accordingly”, she said.
While Tim agrees the council’s decision to ‘vote no’ is indicative of how local businesses have been let down by BedfordBID, he has reservations about how a post-BID era in Bedford could look.
“Are the council able to provide the services that the BID can provide? How will they consult with the businesses of the town?,” he asks.
“The Council will always have an agenda and limitations of budget, having a strong BID can help to lobby the Council on behalf of the businesses. How can the Council maintain 550 relationships with individual businesses without additional budget?
“Do they have the budget to provide nighttime security guards in the town centre? Do they have the know-how and will to plan a town centre strategy?”
“We don’t need to get rid of BedfordBID he says but all businesses must push for change and hold the team spending our money to account so we get a Better BID for Bedford,” said Tim.
The council says they’ll make sure they work collaboratively with local businesses, whatever the outcome of the ballot.
“If the BID5 is unsuccessful, we will work with local businesses and organisations to ensure we achieve our vision and deliver a more vibrant, safer and cleaner town centre,” said Cllr Spice.
“If the current BID5 proposals are successful, the Council will commit to working with the BID team to deliver those activities and initiatives that benefit our town centre and help us achieve our vision.
“We will use our best efforts to improve the governance of the BID to help all our businesses, including the smaller independents,” she added.
BedfordBID response
We asked BedfordBID if they had any comments about the withdrawal of support from the Council.
Sam Laycock, BedfordBID chair, said: “I’m deeply disappointed that the Executive of the Council have decided to stop supporting the BID. Tom, Andrea and I meet regularly so this decision is especially frustrating.
“The Council are big on vision and empty on detail. The BID plays a crucial role in ‘safer streets’ and bringing investment to Bedford – beyond our role in supporting individual businesses.
“There are significant safety implications as we would lose ‘Retail Radios’ which are used to communicate live between businesses, security teams, CCTV and Police – also supporting the nighttime economy.
“I have already been approached by security teams who have shared their safety concerns – some businesses even require the radios as a condition of their alcohol licence.
“We recently experienced rioting across the country, and thanks to these radios, businesses were able to communicate and track the events live, enabling them to be prepared.
“We would also lose the GDPR-regulated Business Against Crime reporting app tackling and reporting ASB and shoplifting.
“These are real services making a material difference behind the scenes which have been in place for two decades so are now treated as basic essentials and the norm for existing and future businesses.
“Sometimes it’s not just about a ‘vision’, but about coalface reality of retail and town centre operations. The Council’s own report shows that it costs Bedford Council just £25k to help secure millions of pounds in income at a time when town centres are under threat.
“It’s a very strange decision that will only damage confidence, and potentially undermine safety in our town centre.”
Make your vote count
BedfordBID levy payers will soon receive a postal ballot form to decide if they want BedfordBID to be renewed for another five years. Cllr Spice is encouraging all levy payers with voting rights to take part in the forthcoming ballot so as to make sure their voices are heard.
“However you feel about the proposed BID5, whether in support or not, you must use your vote as your voice. I have spent over a year as Portfolio Holder listening to many business owners and to those who live in or visit the town.
“In the last BID election for Bedford only 175 businesses voted out of approximately 400 and we want to see more businesses having their say.
“Businesses within the BID zone and with a minimum business rateable value need to make a financial commitment to the BID for four years and so must be confident that it will provide what they wish in their town.”
