Business
Ian Ward addresses guests at the BID Business Plan launch in July
Does Bradford need a BID? This autumn businesses in Bradford city centre will be invited to vote on the proposed formation of a business improvement district (BID). If successful, the BID will generate £2.5m over the next five years, which will be used to fund a range of projects designed to improve the city centre. As well as tackling key issues around cleanliness and safety, the BID will also have a huge impact on Bradford’s cultural scene. To find out more we spoke to BID Chair Ian Ward. What impact will the BID have on events and culture in the city centre and how much will be invested in promoting new and existing events? The BID will play a huge role in helping to make Bradford a more vibrant and exciting place to be. As part of the overall plan to invest £2.5 million over its five-year term, a budget of £425,000 will be available to fund and support events including the introduction of an annual Festival of Light, vintage bus trips, heritage trails and street markets. It will also fund art installations, visitor routes and lighting schemes throughout the city centre. The BID will also look to create a support package to help organisers deliver successful
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city centre events. The BID will be investing a further £445,000 in promotion and marketing, ensuring greater lobbying, representation and championing of the city. Which will give our events a much better platform to promote themselves from. So, all in all, it should be fantastic news for Bradford’s cultural sector. The business plan sets out a range of objectives under the ‘Alive’ and ‘Promoted’ headings, how were these established and how will they be delivered? All of the proposed projects in the business plan were in response to feedback from city centre businesses. An extensive feasibility study identified areas of concern and highlighted what businesses felt was needed to improve
