For the past four years, one organisation has been working tirelessly for the good of all Keighley businesses.
It helps provide safety and security, it offers marketing and cost saving services, it provides town centre signage, it runs a programme of events including the Christmas Lights switch on, it has installed a free WiFi network, and it provides a network of support.
And all of these services are provided by Keighley BID for a small levy which is for some businesses as little as the cost of a cup of coffee every week.
The BID – Business Improvement District – won the backing of just short of 80 per cent of businesses eligible to pay the levy when it went to the ballot in Autumn 2015.
A BID is a local business partnership that all eligible businesses must pay into – the levy collected is used as an investment pot to benefit the whole town.
The Keighley BID is set to generate around £1.4 million over its five-year life span, all of which will be ploughed back into projects and events to benefit the whole town.
It officially launched in January 2016, and Paul Howard was appointed BID manager soon afterwards.
He has no doubt that the scheme has been hugely important in the town going forward over the last four years, and spoke to Bradford Means Business about it.
“The BID brings a whole range of benefits to the town in key areas like marketing, safety and security, ease of access, and much more.”
Paul Howard, BID manager
“It does this by providing member businesses with a range of services such as marketing, photography, business cost savings schemes, funding, town centre signage, events and a shop local campaign, among others.
“This comes at no extra cost to BID members so they can focus on what matters most, running their business. Without Keighley BID, none of this would be available.”
Key visible benefits include the town security scheme, with 124 members being given security radios, the calendar of events for the town the BID puts on, and the introduction of free wifi in the town centre for everyone.
But there is much more beside that. In the past year, the BID has carried out 58 photography sessions with member businesses, created and shared over 2500 Facebook posts and shares, and involved 85 independent businesses in two shop local campaign, said Paul.
It has created audio adverts for members which play on Cavendish Street and provided cost savings options to 59 business amounting to more than £102,000.
And it has also grant funded £6,000 toward apprenticeships with member businesses, and 31 members have taken advantage of its poster sites around the town centre, he said.
“Businesses have also taken advantage of our frequent networking events, helping businesses form personal and professional relationships as well as keeping them up to date on current affairs in the business world.
“These are just a few of the benefits the BID has brought to its members over the past 12 months.
One of the main roles of the BID was to build a competitive advantage for town shopping over online businesses and out of town retail areas.
There have been some criticisms of the levy, businesses have to pay as members, but Paul urged anyone who felt they weren’t getting value for money to work with them to find something that would benefit their business.
“There is something within our portfolio of services and offers that will benefit any business in the town centre. We even have businesses willing to pay a voluntary membership just to access some of the services we can offer them. We also have several case studies available, adding together all the benefits we have found for their businesses and these far outweigh the small cost of the levy.”
He cited the example of Hairavanti on Cavendish Street, which recently received a large saving on their bills through the BID’s costs savings scheme, £2,000 towards an apprentice, and frequent use of town centre signage to promote the business.
“Another business recently benefitting was M&J Framing, who each time we speak to him, says ‘I wish I’d done this sooner’, following help with saving costs on energy, telecoms and merchant fees as well as assistance with social media, which now helps him reach far more new customers,” said Paul.
“A lot of our members are also quick to give us positive feedback and even recommend other businesses become voluntary members because of the benefits they’ve received themselves.”
He said schemes running at the moment include giving members access to a professional photographer who can be booked to take photos of their business and its products, which the business can use promote itself across social media and on the BID’s website directory.
“Throughout the town centre, we have a number of promotional sites that members have access to; these range from posters sites to car park wraps in the multi-story car park and leaflet distribution. We’ve also made use of vacant shops to promote businesses who are thriving in the town. All these services are free of charge to members.”
Helping keep businesses safe is a vital aspect of what the BID does. “Security is a key part of our business plan, we offer security radios to all of our members along with access to our online crime fighting software, helping to share valuable information on security and other safety matters,” Paul said.
Twice a year, the BID runs its shop local scheme. This gives shoppers collecting three stamps from independent shops with the chance to win a share of £1500, which can then be spent in the participating retailers.
“Not only does this help bring in more shoppers to the town centre but also rewards loyal shoppers for choosing to shop locally,” he said.
Another vital part of the BID’s offering is the calendar of events which are free to the public and help bring people into the centre.
They range from Theatre Days, Summer Fun Days which include giant inflatables, obstacle courses and smaller play centres for the younger children, Keighley by the Sea, an indoor beach installation complete with deck chairs, in the Airedale Shopping Centre, and the ‘Creepy Keighley’ Halloween event with static and roaming live entertainment such as a 17 foot T-Rex.
“And of course our Christmas Lights Switch On celebration where we provide a day of live entertainment, a stage show featuring Pulse 1’s Mylo & Rosie and a celebrity guest and then finishing off with the switch on and a spectacular fireworks display,” said Paul.
“If Keighley BID didn’t exist, the town would lose its monthly events, its shop local campaigns, and a huge range of services such as the cost savings scheme, the town centre signage, the social media and marketing support, the safety and security scheme.”
The BID levy is dependent on the size and Rateable Value of the business, with some businesses paying as little as £98 a year – less than £2 a week.
And Paul points out that some businesses are exempt because of the level of their rateable value, but says a number of these choose to be voluntary members and pay £80 per year.
He stressed that all BID businesses got very good value for money, as long as they make sure they benefit from what is available to them.
“The benefits available to the BID members outweigh the levy they pay each year, if they take advantage of them. Services such as photography, marketing, advertising, increased trade and the cost savings scheme can all save businesses hundreds if not thousands of pounds per year, so it really does make sense to take advantage of everything available.”
