FAQs
Q1. Why do we have pay for services that the Council should be providing out of our Business Rates?
A1. You will not be paying for anything the Council currently provides. All the projects in the Torquay BID are ADDITIONAL to what is already provided through your business rates.
Q2. How do I know that?
A2. Torbay Town Centres Company and Torbay Council have drawn up a legal agreement. The Council has declared in that agreement the services that it currently delivers in the BID area. The BID legislation is very clear that no BID monies can be used to either subsidise of substitute services that are already provided by local authorities. The TTCCo and the BID Steering Group will be monitoring this very closely.
Q3 If I vote against this scheme and it gets voted in do I still have to pay?
A3 Yes you do. The Council will send out a separate invoice for this levy and have the same powers of recovery of this payment as they do with your Business Rates payment.
Q4. Why do I have to pay if I vote against this scheme?
A4 Like any democratic process the will of the majority takes precedence, and you will benefit from all the additional benefits the BID will bring. It is only fair that everyone should contribute.
Q5 I have just seen the RV of my premises increase by x%., is the Bid going to do the same?
A5 No the 1.5% BID levy is based on the 2005 Rating List and will remain the same throughout the five year lifetime of the BID. The annual cost stated at the bottom of the letter you received with the Business Plan will be what you pay every year as a one off payment.
Q6 Who is going to manage this scheme and how much of the money will be spent on administration?
A6. A BID dedicated manager will be appointed to manage the Torquay BID project, and to ensure that the BID delivers what it promises in the Business Plan. An allocation of £40k has been made in the budget to cover the salary and on costs for this post less than 20% of the total budget.
In addition we will be setting up a BID Steering Group. This group will have elected representatives from the BID levy payer across the town. They will have a very critical say in making sure that the BID is delivered and steering the course it takes and influencing what is done. The BID Manager will take their advice and guidance very seriously when planning the projects.
Q7 How will I know that my money has been spent on what you say it will be spent on?
A7 The TTCCO is legally obliged to produce an annual audit of exactly what it has delivered through the BID scheme. It has to itemise each project what it has spent and if it has reached its target. You will see in the Business Plan pg 24 that there is a list of performance indicators that will be collected to see if the BID is making a difference.
Q8 I do not like the projects that are in the BID Business Plan. Why are they included?
A8 Every business in the BID was asked to come to meetings, meet one to one, phone, visit the website etc etc in order complete a questionnaire highlighting what they felt was needed in Torquay to turn the town around. The TTCCo received over 250 questionnaire responses and many comments in meetings and interviews; the resulting Business Plan reflects the results of those consultations.
Q9 Who decided where the BID area should be and why ?
A9 The BID working Group and the Town Centres Company decided on the line. They have selected an area that is really the town centre. To make it much bigger would make it difficult to stretch the services and dilute the benefit. To make it smaller would have excluded a lot of town centre businesses.
Q10 How can I vote?
A10 on 1st March you will be sent through the post a voting paper from the Electoral Reform Service. You will be asked to vote YES or NO to the Torquay BID proposal. Make your decision and post it back in the replay paid envelope. It has to be back by 29th March to count.
Q11. What majority do you need to win?
A11 To win there has to be a majority of YES votes and that majority of YES votes has to represent the majority of the rateable value of the total votes cast. If either of those criteria fails then the vote is lost and the BID will not go ahead. If the vote is a YES vote then the Torquay BID can go ahead and we would aim to get invoices out in May and to start to delivering the plan this summer.
Q12 What if it does not work?
A12 The BID lasts 5 years, at the end of the BID 5 years there has to be another round of consultation and a new `business plan and another ballot so there is a chance to vote it out.
Q13 Does anywhere else have a BID?
A13 Yes there are about 100 BIDs around the Country in cities, large towns small towns etc. Some of them have completed their first 5 year term and come up for re-ballot , and the mandates in every case have increased to retain the BID. Plymouth is a good case in point. Their BID has been hugely successful and really contributed to turning the city around. It has greatly increased customer numbers and spend per head. If you come to the BID launch on 11 Feb at the Imperial you will hear about the success of the Truro BID.
Q14 What happens if the BID vote fails?
A14 we continue to muddle along as we are with no funding to market the town or put on events or improve Christmas lights, and we allow Exeter, Plymouth and The Willows to take our customers and Torquay will fall into further decline.
Q15 I really want to know more about this scheme and who will be running it?
A15. Call The Town Centres Company and speak to Lucy or Karen on 01803 212270 or visit torbaytowncentrescompany.co.uk.