Work on the Gloucester Business Improvement District is moving ahead at pace after 86 percent of businesses voted for pooling resources to improve the city.

It means 600 eligible businesses, with a rateable value of £10,000 or more, will now start paying a small levy.

Over a five-year period, the levy should generate about £2.5million.

But what will such a large investment go towards?

Over the past year all businesses within the proposed BID area have been given the opportunity to talk to the organisation, with more than 700 interviews conducted.

The feedback has resulted in a five-year business plan to ensure all businesses profit from the BID.

Jason Smith, chief executive of Marketing Gloucester which has helped organise the BID, gives his eight biggest reasons why it will prove a success.

1. City wardens

Gloucester's former ambassadors could make a return

A pilot scheme in December 2016 where security officers were hired to keep the streets safe and to help curb shoplifting proved to be a big success. The BID will help fund four wardens which will operate in two teams of two, seven days a week.

They will patrol the city to make it safe in the daytime and evening. BID members and BID voluntary members will be able to call for their assistance at incidents.

2. A “clean squad” tidying up the streets

A new hotline is being looked at where BID members can report rubbish outside their business and have it removed. The BID is also looking at potentially hiring a “better quality and lower priced” commercial service than relying on council services via contractor Amey.

3. Supporting and promoting events including a better Christmas event

Gloucester's Christmas lights

A main area of the BID’s work will be to promote annual events in Gloucester such as Tall Ships and Summer of Music, Art and Culture and Gloucester Goes Retro as they are seeing as massive draws for visitors.

With this in mind they will look to support the events to allow them grow and to look at events in specific areas of the city.

It is also looking to investigate and fund an improved Christmas offering as well as bring other new events.

4. Overhauling the Gate Streets

From hanging baskets to effective signage linking parts of the city and improvements to the public realm in areas of the city including lower Eastgate Street, Gloucester BID will spend money on making the BID area more attractive.

Proposals include

• Improving lower Eastgate Street to bring it into line with areas such as Kimbrose Triangle

• Working with Marketing Gloucester to support digital wayfinding in the city

• Improved signage linking the whole city

• Improved direction signage from motorways and approach roads

• Hanging Baskets

• Supporting and advising businesses on creating attractive frontages

5. Marketing and promoting Gloucester

Gloucester BID website

Gloucester BID plans to build a platform to promote activities across the whole town centre, using traditional, outdoor, print, broadcast and social media.

A website and social media accounts have already been established for Gloucester BID and it claims there has already been success in it attracting visitors.

The accounts so far:



Twitter: @GloucesterBID


6. Reducing business costs

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Using the power of collective purchasing, where groups of people or companies bid for a certain provider depending on what they are offering, Gloucester BID will work to reduce costs and improve services for members.

It claims that while they cannot always reduce costs, some have made savings bigger than the BID levy they pay.

Cost reduction services include recycling and waste, electricity, telecoms, mobile phones, and insurance.

According to the BID Justin Hudson, manager of Butlers in Gloucester made savings of £2,225 on his electric bills and reduced his insurance by 33.9 per cent.

7. Improving networking between businesses

The body wants to ‘strengthen’ Gloucester’s Chamber of Commerce, and will fund the first year membership for city centre businesses to join the chamber. It sees the chamber as a vital way of ensuring businesses across the town can network and have a means of promoting issues affecting them.

Gloucester BID will work with Gloucester Chamber of Commerce and Marketing Gloucester to develop a calendar of networking and training events including with nationally-recognised speakers.

8. Work together to combat begging and ASB

Begging in Gloucester has been an issue

The BID wants to represent the needs of businesses with the council, police and other public bodies, specifically around the need for continued, sufficient, accessible car parking, dealing with rough sleepers, beggars, antisocial behaviour and ensuring levels of cleanliness are maintained.

The BID initial research highlighted these issues are important to the businesses in the town centre and the BID will continue to work in partnership and lobby to ensure these issues and their effects on the local economy are addressed.