Key Facts

The BID levy A BID levy is an equal and fair way of funding projects that are additional to the Council’s statutory and concessionary services.

For the five-year term the levy will continue to be calculated at 1% of the rateable value of the property at the time of ballot (24th May 2018). Any temporary rates relief granted will not be considered in the calculation of the levy.

All eligible non-domestic properties with a rateable valuation of £25,000 or more within the BID will be liable for the full 1% levy for the duration of the five-year term including properties of the local authority, other statutory agencies or non-statutory bodies and charities. Properties with a rateable value under £25,000, alongside Places of Worship, will be exempt from the levy and will not have a vote. Properties located within a managed shopping centre will be eligible for 0.5% levy for the duration of the BID term.

The levy will be subject to an annual increase of 1% from years two to five to accommodate an increase in project cost. E.g. RV of £25, 000 will have a levy of £250.00 in year 1, year 2 £252.50, year 3 £255.03, year 4 £257.58 and year 5 £260.16. The levy payments are not linked to what businesses actually pay in rates but are based on the rateable value of the property.

The levy must be paid in one instalment. Payment must be made within 14 days from the date the levy invoice is issued.

Any non-payment of the levy will be strongly pursued and statutory powers will be enforced to ensure fairness to those levy payers that have paid.

There will be no levy relief for empty buildings. If the property is empty on the date of issue of the levy or at any time during the BID term, the property owner will be liable for the full levy amount until the property has a new occupier who will then be liable for the levy.

If the occupier vacates a property, rebates for the outstanding unoccupied period will be given.

If there is a successful appeal of the 2017 Non-Domestic Rates Revaluation, resulting in a reduced rateable value, the levy will be reduced to reflect this. The changes will not take effect until the following year and will not be backdated. If there is an upward valuation at appeal there will be no change to reflect this. Should the Assessors revalue properties during the BID term, the levy will remain at the rate calculated on 24th May 2018 (the day of ballot) until the BID term ends in 2023.

Any additional rateable property formed/ created, subdivided or merged during the lifetime of the BID will be liable to pay the levy e.g. new building developments, alterations to use, (church property becoming commercial) etc.

Self-catering holiday accommodation which is not the sole or main residence of any person and which is available (or intended to be available) for letting on a commercial basis, with profit in mind, for short periods in the financial year and remain liable for nondomestic rates for the whole year will be subject to the levy and entitled to vote.

The City of Edinburgh Council will continue to collect the levy on our behalf ensuring complete transparency, security of money collected and auditable collection procedures.

The BID Revenue Account and levy can only be accessed by Essential Edinburgh.

“I have been on George Street for ten years under various guises from luxury fashion to fine foods and I’ve seen a lot of changes, the biggest change is the engagement. I feel we have benefitted dramatically from working as a group rather than as individuals and I would advise all of you within the BID to engage with Essential Edinburgh, you’ll be amazed at the specialist team that is available to help you.”

Peter Heggie, The East India Company

The Voting Process On the 12th April 2018, the eligible person with the authority to vote in each business will receive a ballot paper and the BID Business Plan.

Voting papers are easy to complete, with a cross on either “yes” or “no” to the question “Are you in favour of the Business Improvement District?”. The ballot paper(s) must be signed by the person eligible to vote and returned in the pre-paid envelope. All votes must be cast by 5pm Thursday 24th May 2018 to count. If you have multiple voting papers ensure you complete and return them all.

All eligible voters will have a vote for each property that is liable for non-domestic rates.

Where an eligible property is vacant the voting papers will be sent to the property owner.

The BID ballot is a confidential postal ballot conducted by the City of Edinburgh Council on behalf of Essential Edinburgh and in line with Scottish BID legislation.

A BID proposal in Scotland will only go ahead if the following conditions are achieved in the ballot: there must be a minimum turnout of 25% by number of eligible persons (the headcount) and rateable value, with the majority voting in favour by number and rateable value. This protects the interests of both large and small businesses as the voting system requires all four conditions to be met.

The results of the ballot must be declared within 1 week of the count.

Following a successful ballot the decision is binding on ALL eligible levy payers within the defined BID regardless of how they voted.

Following a successful yes vote Essential Edinburgh will continue to manage and operate the BID from the 1st of July 2018 for a period of 5 years. All Directors will maintain their positions on the Board until the AGM where nominations for appointment can be submitted for consideration by the Remuneration and Nominations Committee.

Full details on our governance, ballot procedures and relevant legal information are available via our website at: www.essentialedinburgh.co.uk or a request in writing.

Alteration Statement The BID Board of Directors will have the authority to adapt or alter the projects and services from year to year to reflect any change in economic circumstances or any new opportunities that may arise. This will be in the best interests of the levy payers without recourse to an alteration ballot. Assessing and Minimising Risk The Board will take all the steps necessary to minimise any risk associated with the BID (financially or otherwise) by only using reputable contractors to deliver BID projects. The Board will also adopt best practice in governance and operational procedures whilst being open and transparent in its operations. Essential Edinburgh will undergo an independent evaluation Assessment and Accreditation Interim Review (AAIR) of its activities at the half way point and towards the end of the third term to ensure it is delivering all the projects and services as detailed in this plan.

“I’m a big advocate for the re-election of Essential Edinburgh. Whether it’s tackling litter outside my venue, enabling events and festivals, supporting me as a new business or helping to promote my own events, their support is vitally important... I look forward to continuing to work with Essential Edinburgh for another five years.”

Ricky Heath, Veeno

Measuring Success The Essential Edinburgh Board of Directors will monitor and oversee the efficient delivery of projects throughout the lifetime of the BID to ensure they achieve a high impact and are progressing to the satisfaction of levy payers. Essential Edinburgh will formally measure performance through the following Key Performance Indicators:

Marketing Campaign evaluation

Footfall research

Retail and hospitality sales monitoring

Local Environment Audit and Management System (LEAMS)

Cleanliness Index Monitoring System (CIMS)

Resident, visitor and employee perception survey

Levy payer feedback surveys

Vacant property report

Edinburgh Visitor Survey

Car parking data

Crime statistics

Event evaluations, both public and business The level of progress made on these projects will be assessed during each year of the BID term. This will be reported back on a regular basis to levy payers through all channels available.

Communication and contact with levy payers Essential Edinburgh has and will continue to have an open and transparent approach to all aspects of the business and have an agreed communications strategy to ensure our levy payers are fully informed, including:

One-to-one meetings, business briefings and B2B networking opportunities

Digital media campaigns

Press releases and local newspaper columns

On-going website and social media updates

Weekly e-bulletins and regular city centre updates

Monthly digital Essential Trends monitoring report (bi-annual print)

Quarterly newsletters (printed and digital)

Annual Review

AGM Baseline Service Agreement Statutory services (Baseline Services) are currently delivered by the City of Edinburgh Council and Police Scotland. Essential Edinburgh has a Baseline Services Agreement in place that identifies precisely what the statutory authorities provide in return for business rate. This ensures that the levy investment enhances and does not duplicate the services already provided. Example Baseline Services include: Lighting, maintenance, highways, car parking, estate management, public transport services, traffic enforcement, trading standards, public conveniences, street furniture, Police.

Streets included in the BID Castle Street, Charlotte Square (between George Street and South Charlotte Street: No 33 – 39 only), Elder Street, Frederick Street (South of George Street), George Street, Hanover Street (South of George Street), Hope Street Lane, James Craig Walk, Meuse Lane, Multrees Walk, Princes Street, Rose Street, Rose Street North Lane, Rose Street South Lane, South Charlotte Street, South St Andrew Street, South St David Street, St Andrew Square, St James Centre, Waverley Steps, West Register Street, West Register Street Lane.

All company information, including the full BID Proposal, is available at www.essentialedinburgh.co.uk.