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inSwindon BID Renewal Results

It’s a YES! Swindon town centre businesses have voted to keep inSwindon Business Improvement District for a third term.

The results were announced today by Swindon Borough Council’s Electoral Services, who independently collated and verified the returned Ballot papers.

41% businesses turned out to vote – up by 6% on the last Ballot. Of those businesses that voted 76% voted in favour by number and 79% in favour by rateable value.

inSwindon BID Company Ltd has managed the town centre since 2007 and is one of only 23 BIDs in the country who have successfully obtained a third term. There are over 276 active BIDs in the UK which equates to over £240m being invested by businesses in to their ring-fenced local economy.

The successful ballot will enable £2.7 million to be invested into Swindon town centre over the next five years through the business plan voted on by members. Some of the highlights of this are:

478 businesses having one powerful voice for a greater say
Reduced business costs through group purchasing initiatives
A safe and welcoming town centre from the Street Team BID Ambassadors
An exciting Events Programme to improve footfall and increase dwell time
A more attractive town centre with increased footfall
Subsidised radio link membership, CCTV for detection & crime prevention
Co-ordinated town centre management of event space and attractions
Town Centre performance measurement
Co-ordinated approach to car parking and transport links – in line with Swindon Borough Council’s strategy.
A co-ordinated marketing strategy for the town centre
Business networking, intelligence sharing and a collective voice for the town centre.

Di Powell inSwindon BID Manager said: “This is such a positive result for the town centre. I would like to thank our members and the businesses who have voted to enable our continuation. I am particularly proud and thankful to the team for their hard work and grateful to the Board of Directors who volunteer their time and support to the BID. I look forward to building on the success of the town centre. Together we can create a vibrant town centre we can all be proud of.

“Clearly there will be businesses that have not voted in support of the renewal and it’s vital that we engage and understand what we can do for these businesses going forward.

“The next five years will be an exciting time for the town centre, with the regeneration programme and place marketing ‘Switch on to Swindon’ strategy highlighting the town as a great place to live, work, invest and visit.”

Ian Larrard, inSwindon Board Chairman said: “I believe that inSwindon BID Company are uniquely placed to continue to help shape the town centre so I am delighted that the town centre businesses have voted in favour of the BID for another five years.

“This is a great opportunity to build on the success of the last 10 years.”

Full details of inSwindon BID business plan can be found on their website www.swindontowncentre.co.uk