The Torbay Retail and Tourism Business Improvement District (TRTBID) consultation has been happening across Torbay for several months. Sarah Whitaker, TRTBID project manager, gives an update on the timetable.
“All 3,000+ Torbay retail and tourism businesses were sent the TRTBID Summary Business Plan which brought together all the views and ideas for projects and services that have come out of the different types of consultation we have carried out to date.
The key areas of work for the TRTBID highlighted in the Summary Business Plan were:
- Marketing Promotion and Events
- Attractive Friendly and Welcoming
- Access Wayfinding and Signage
- Business Support
- A Central Voice
We were pleased that over 150 businesses gave us detailed and constructive feedback in person, via email/online and phone. This valuable information will help us ensure that the Full Business Plan will reflect as much as possible, your aspirations, concerns and views. They cover everything from which projects go in the Final Plan to what people would like to see in terms of governance and management.
As well as extending the deadline for people to respond, another key element was that businesses wanted more time to develop the Final Business Plan and consequently requested a later ballot date.
We are pleased to announce that after discussions with the TRTBID Task Group, the ballot will now take place between October and November 2015.
This will allow for the consultation feedback to be fully analysed and incorporated into the Final Business Plan as well as ensuring that the organisational and management aspects are fully examined to allow us to move forward with the best and most effective option. It will also allow for the TRTBID Team to engage further with Torbay Retail and Tourism businesses.
If the outcome of the vote in the autumn is in favour of the TRTBID, it will provide sustainable funding for a five-year period of over £5m that will be used to secure the improvements agreed in the business plan.
In order for a BID to be voted in, over 50 per cent of businesses that vote must vote ‘yes’. As well as this, the businesses that vote ‘yes’ must in total have a greater rateable value than the businesses that vote no.
For any further information regarding the Summary Business Plan or the TRTBID generally, please contact us or visit our website www.trtbid.co.uk where a full response to the consultation will be posted in the next couple of weeks”.
Original story in Herald Express. Reproduced by kind permission of author/publisher.