About Us

Your BID3 and Team

Worcester is a beautiful Cathedral and University City with a fascinating history, located in the heart of the West Midlands on the banks of the River Severn. We boast a wealth of interesting architecture, top class sports teams and venues, combined with an unrivalled combination of independent boutiques and high street names, and a vibrant programme of events.

Worcester BID was established in 2010 with a vision to make Worcester a better place to shop, eat, play and live and has been running in the city the past 13 years across the BID Area.

Your dedicated BID team work to provide leadership and representation, to champion business within the city, and ensure a strong voice on the issues that matter most.

Worcester BID also works hard to develop partnerships with city stakeholders, experienced consultants and organisations that bring real change to the city by cohesive and collaborative work. A clear example of this are the cities work in bringing Purple Flag status to Worcester, an achievement led by Worcester BID and delivered by the development of fantastic working partnerships with West Mercia Police, Worcester Regulatory Services, Worcester City Council and many more.

The BID Business Area

For every 5-year term the BID team is elected to serve, a business plan is created which is directly influenced by, and developed with, businesses within the city so that you can clearly see the aims of each period and the route to the investment of 2 million pounds into the city for each term.

Feel free to flick through our business plan here.

Your team is ready to help your business flourish. Want to get in touch? Find the correct member of the team for your need below!

Email Sam

Email Crystal

Email Abbey

Your Board of Directors

Worcester BID is governed by a voluntary Board of Directors representing levy payers and the different sectors within the BID area. The Board direct how funds are spent in the city, in line with the objectives of the 2020-2025 BID Business Plan.

👤Anja Potze: Anja Potze Fine Jewellery (Chair)

👤Mike Lloyd: Crowngate Shopping Centre (Vice Chair)

👤Dean Hill: Tramps Nightclub

👤Rachael Mitchell: Worcester Whitehouse Hotel

👤Aasia Baig: Centenary Lounge

👤Ben Mannion: Hewett Recruitment

👤Councillor Robyn Norfolk: Worcester City Council

👤Adam Collet: Harrison Clark Rickerbys

👤Stephanie Jones: The Hive

👤Mark Smith: SME Banking (Lloyds Banking)

👤Jo Murphy: University of Worcester

👤Tom Mountford *BID Board Observer* : Worcester City Council

The BID Foundation Industry Standards: Quality and Governance

Worcester Business Improvement District (BID) has been in operation since April 2010 and is a non-for-profit organisation with the aim of improving the trading conditions for the businesses who contribute a BID levy.

A key objective of The BID Foundation is to increase transparency and accountability of the industry. In consultation with BIDs, levy payer groups and policy makers, including the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government, they have developed some recommended minimum standards, which will increase transparency of the industry.

Worcester BID Q&A

Worcester Business Improvement District is a business-led and business-funded body, working to improve and promote Worcester city centre as a place to live, work, visit and invest.

Following a successful renewal ballot, the third five-year term of Worcester BID started on 1st April 2020 and will run until 31st March 2025. You can learn more about the plans for the third term by clicking here.

As a democratically elected, independent body, Worcester BID enables more than 650 businesses to work collectively to influence and impact on how Worcester city centre is managed and develops.

We are a Company limited by guarantee Registration No. 07188738 and operate under The Business Improvement Districts (England) Regulations 2004.

A BID has a maximum term of 5 years.

The ballot is run by the local authority or outsourced by the local authority to a third party. All businesses eligible to pay the levy are balloted.

For a BID to go ahead the ballot must be won on two counts: straight majority and majority of rateable value. This ensures that the interests of large and small businesses are protected. There is no minimum turnout threshold.

The ballot is run independently by the local authority. Following a successful renewal ballot in 2019, the third five-year term of Worcester BID started on 1st April 2020 and will run until 31st March 2025.

More than £6.5 million has been invested into the city centre in the past 13 years.

All eligible businesses within the BID boundary with a Rateable Value exceeding £7,500 will be able to vote.

Worcester BID is focused on delivering projects and services for your benefit, so it is important that we understand what is of greatest value to you. Contact us via email (find out details in the ‘About Us’ tab, via phone (01905 731612), via social media channels (linked in the header) or ask one of us to pop in to see you.

No. Business rates are collected by Worcester City Council and redistributed at a national level. The council spends the allocated funding on services that are both statutory and discretionary, and businesses have very little say on what these services are. BIDs differ from this as the money is collected locally, ring-fenced and controlled and managed by you. It can only then be spent on initiatives detailed in business plan that you have agreed to. The BID levy does not pay for anything covered by your business rates.

First and foremost, you’ll see real change in the city. Each year the BID will also produce an annual performance report to show what the BID is delivering and the Return on Investment for levy payers.

Yes, if a majority vote in favour by number and rateable value, the levy will become mandatory. Payment of the levy carries the same enforcement as non-domestic rates.

The BID levy is charged at 1.5% (1% for managed shopping centres) of rateable value of each hereditament within the BID area that has a rateable value of £7,500 RV or more on the prevailing rating list. Businesses below this threshold are exempt from paying the levy. Examples of levy calculations can be found below:

Levy Calculation Table

Rateable Value	1.5% BID levy (standard rate)	1% BID levy (managed shopping centre)
£7,500.00	£112.50	£75.00
£10,000	£150.00	£100.00
£15,000.00	£225.00	£150.00
£20,000.00	£300.00	£200.00
£40,000.00	£600.00	£400.00
£80,000.00	£1,200.00	£800.00
£11,000.00	£165.00	£110.000
£150,000.00	£2,250.00	£1,500.00
£300,000.00	£4,500.00	£3,000.00
£600,000.00	£9,000.00	£6,000.00
£1,000,000.00	£15,000.00	£10,000.00

Key performance indicators (KPIs) are defined, and performance is monitored by the Worcester BID Board and respective committees.

The annual budget is approved through the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors receive regular advice regarding the review and evaluation of projects from the management team prior to making further decisions on spend or reprofiling of expenditure.

Worcester BID has 14 positions on its Voluntary Board of Directors who are representative of levy payers in Worcester. Board Director elections take place at our Annual Meeting in May each year where Directors can be re-elected.

Direct benefit: Free advertising via digital marketing, print advertisements and TV, access to a plethora of free training courses for your business and your staff, access to city groups to make your voice heard such as Pub Watch and cost saving initiatives such as 1-2-1s with bill experts to cut your costs.

Indirect benefit: Marketing of the city centre to visitors and tourists, public realm improvements such as planters and displays such as the New Street and Friar Street aerial installations.

CityNet is a BID service, and the rental of the radios is heavily subsidised by BID. There is no alternative organisation able to take over delivery of this service.

You can as a levy payer! The BID is a transparent organisation, and we take the spend of levy money seriously. You can see annual accounts by emailing us to request access at info@worcesterbid.com.

Available Accounts can also be downloaded by pressing the Annual Reports and Accounts button at the base of any BID webpage

Worcester BID activity is delivered over and above the projects and baselined service levels provided by public agencies including the Local Authority.

The projects and services which will be delivered during the current five-year BID period are agreed and set out in Worcester BID’s 2020-2025 Business Plan.

Key performance indicators (KPIs) are defined and performance is monitored by the Worcester BID Board and respective committees.

The annual budget is approved through the Board of Directors.

The Board of Directors receive regular advice regarding the review and evaluation of projects from the management team prior to making further decisions on spend or reprofiling of expenditure.

The annual BID levy payment invoice is accompanied by a billing leaflet outlining what projects and services the BID will be spending the levy on. Click the button below to view a copy of the 2020 billing leaflet.

To view our procurement policy please click here. If you would like to request minutes from the finance and scrutiny meeting please email us and we will get back to you requesting further details.