please empty your brain below
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Of all the names, in my opinion, only Bermondsey and Sutton have any lasting merit. And that's setting the bar pretty low.
Petras409 | 20.12.22 - 8:45 a.m. | #
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Thanks for a great early-morning belly laugh with that list of BID names! Someone is definitely having fun out there, taking us all for a ride.
cau1khead | 20.12.22 - 8:52 a.m. | #
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Railway company SWR are currently running an absurd campaign urging passengers to explore the London Heritage Quarter:
"What's even better about London is that many of its top historical landmarks can be found in one area, the London Heritage Quarter. Here, we'll talk you through this incredible area, including where's best to explore during your visit and how to get there with South Western Railway.
A tourist's dream, the London Heritage Quarter is a cluster of the city's most significant historical landmarks..."
diamond geezer | Homepage | 20.12.22 - 9:03 a.m. | #
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For a moment I was hoping that “North Bank” might have curled up and died, but alas it was not to be.
Philip Downer | 20.12.22 - 9:06 a.m. | #
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The deceptively created and much reviled (by shopkeepers at least) Hampstead BID died noisily about a year ago. Spent a lot of money on salaries and legal justification without creating much tangible output.
Fortunately St. John's Wood has so far managed without.
MilesT | 20.12.22 - 9:25 a.m. | #
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That SWR campaign really is absurd
"Hop on board a tube from Waterloo and instantly access popular destinations including Charing Cross, Westminster and Temple"
A ticket to Waterloo is valid to Charing Cross on South Eastern, but not on the Tube. And, for such a short distance, Temple is really awkward to get to from Waterloo by Tube.
They also seem to think that the nearest Tube station to Westminster Abbey is Charing Cross, and that admission to Buckingham Palace is "£££" and the Houses of parliament "££", but admission to the Elizabeth Tower ("Big Ben") is "Free"
Perhaps the least helpful name for any of those BIDs is "station to station". Not very specific, and even the BID's own map doesn't show the railway.
Timbo | 20.12.22 - 9:26 a.m. | #
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Perhaps all zone 1 (and more) BIDs should be shelved, and divert the money to paying off Crossrail.
Toby | 20.12.22 - 9:49 a.m. | #
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Has there been much research to check if BIDs deliver any of the claimed benefits such as "reduced crime" and "increased footfall and staff retention"?
The report from 2015 linked in the london.gov.uk page suggests the evidence of much impact is limited beyond "branding, bins and baskets". And banners and Christmas lights. Although some do street cleaning or employ uniformed security guards or street ambassadors. Because local authority budgets are so pushed since 2010 that there is hardly anything left for matters that are not statutory duties. But most BIDs have really tiny budgets (see figure 3 on page 6 - only two of 50 then over £2m, West End and Midtown, and a handful, including Victoria, over £1m).
What sort of turnout do the ballots get, before every business in the area is forced to contribute their mite to the marketing guff?
Andrew | 20.12.22 - 10:04 a.m. | #
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Is "Stratford Original" a rival to Werthur's Original?
While "Team London Bridge" sounds like a team name from The Apprentice.
Mikey C | 20.12.22 - 10:46 a.m. | #
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It's a shame councils can't divert BID money to cover something more needed or useful!
Cornish Cockney | 20.12.22 - 12:28 p.m. | #
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All the BIDs exist as the result of a majority vote by the companies within the BID area, so they decide whether to be in a BID (with the costs/benefits entailed). BIDs typically have to be renewed after five years through a fresh vote, so if the BID has been around for that long, you can assume that local businesses reckon it’s worth the investment. So it isn’t a tax that’s being hypothecated; it’s a specific subscription from business owners that has to be justified through audited accounts.
Philip Downer | 20.12.22 - 12:35 p.m. | #
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The BID vote is a majority of respondents, not a majority of eligible, but the subscription becomes mandatory on all eligible. This was the heart of the disagreement in Hampstead--turnout for the vote was low because the impact of not voting against was not understood
MilesT | 20.12.22 - 12:45 p.m. | #
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Didn't Team London Bridge project manage the aftermath of the Queen's death?
Anders | 20.12.22 - 12:45 p.m. | #
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If businesses that have voted against still have to pay, then it is a tax. Audited accounts do not alter this.
Malcolm of Kent | 20.12.22 - 1:54 p.m. | #
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'Illuminating lights'?
mikeH | 20.12.22 - 2:14 p.m. | #
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Yes, the Hampstead BID was much resented by businesses legally compelled to contribute by the council but which saw virtually no return for their money, and, I think, also got hardly anything back when it was finally killed off, thanks to opaque accounting. I have a feeling the CEO (or equivalent) was also a prime mover in the much-reviled Midtown nonsense.
Labourer | 20.12.22 - 2:39 p.m. | #
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The Bexleyheath BID was renewed for a second time in 2021. 89 votes were cast representing a 39% turnout, with 82% voting in favour representing 66% of the ratable value that voted (this is not a "one person one vote" democracy: votes are weighted by how much a business is liable to pay). It has a budget of about £300,000.
Their FAQs say the compulsory levy they collect from local businesses is not a tax, although this "subscription" is imposed and enforceable by law.
Andrew | 20.12.22 - 3:24 p.m. | #
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The website for Wood Green BID appears to be a placeholder with something written in Chinese.
Bob L-S | 20.12.22 - 11:57 p.m. | #
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"Successful Sutton".
kermit | 21.12.22 - 2:35 a.m. | #
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Wow, Leytonstone's BID website is a true throwback.
"...maximising the benefits that will arise from Waltham Forest�s [sic] status as a host Olympic borough"
the wub | 22.12.22 - 11:29 a.m. | #
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