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News and Comment October 2022

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27 October (Part 2) - Make your BID

Places ScrutinyBexley’s Places Scrutiny Committee devoted ten minutes of its last meeting to BIDs which if you wade through to the end of its Agenda report you will eventually find translated to Business Improvement Districts. For the uninitiated that is an organisation which operates under the auspices of Bexley Council - they used to share both premises and email addresses - and has the power to levy extra ‘taxes’ on shops and for inexplicable reasons, Sidcup schools too, with the aim of making them more profitable.

Their ambition is to extend their powers beyond Bexleyheath where it has operated for about twelve years and Sidcup to Welling and Bexley Village and Cabinet Member Cafer Munur appeared keen to make such a move. “Wherever we can create a BID we will do so.”

Councillor Cameron Smith (Conservative, St. Mary’s & St. James) thought that successful BIDs may disadvantage the smaller High Streets economically. He said the Traders’ Association in Bexley Village is very active but how can they compete? Is there any scope for joint BIDs with other small shopping centres?

For the record the Abbey Wood (Wilton Road) TA was a victim of Covid and effectively dead having not met since February 2020.

Cameron was told that there were as yet no joint BIDs but it may be possible to provide support to Traders’ Associations.

 

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