Celebrating and championing Dorking businesses, culture and community in our historic market town.
A Business Improvement District (BID) is a business-led and business-funded partnership that works collaboratively to identify and fund projects, initiatives and events that are beneficial for the business environment, its levy payers and all those who live, work, and visit Dorking.
The Dorking Town Partnership, also known as the Dorking BID, answers to its levy payers and serves as an advocate for their interests A BID is created through a ballot process, to improve a defined area in which a levy is charged on all business rate payers in addition to their normal business rates bill. The levy raised is used to deliver projects outlined in the business plan.
BIDs deliver benefits above and beyond local authority services They do not replace them. They provide additional resource and activities to support, enable, and empower the businesses in the area
BIDs must be established according to the Improvement District Regulations (England) 2004 The Regulations state that all eligible nondomestic ratepayers in the area should be given an opportunity to vote on whether they support the BID’s creation or extension A successful ballot is defined by a dual test: a majority of votes by number and a majority of votes by total rateable value must be cast in favour of the BID
The Dorking Business Improvement District (BID) is managed by the BID Manager and voluntary Board of Directors who represent all of the business sectors in Dorking. The the BID is a private, not-for-profit, independent company. Any local levy payer is eligible to become a member of the BID Company and can then be put forward to serve as a Director of the BID.
Business Improvement Districts and the mechanisms to introduce and control them are set out in primary and secondary legislation below:
Local Government Act 2003 Part 4 –permits and controls Business Improvement Districts
Business Improvement Districts (England) Regulations 2004 –responsibilities of a BID proposer / developer and the local authority.
There is also guidance issued by the central government to assist in the development and administration of BIDs from DCLG, ATCM and the British BIDs Foundation:
DCLG Guidance and Best Practice –practical guidance on the development and management of a BID - developed jointly with the Association of Town and City Management
Business Improvement Districts – A Technical Guide for Local Authorities –guidance for local authorities in fulfilling their legislative obligations, developed by British BIDs
Throughout the BID’s first five-year BID term, the team worked to achieve the following:
Creating a vibrant and well-marketed town centre. Working on building a strong brand for Dorking, managing and promoting events, and campaigns to attract visitors to the town.
Making Dorking work on a day-to-day level Working on traffic and access issues, with traffic surveys and footfall data, and providing support to businesses
Working towards a strong future for Dorking with a business community that is able to affect long term change in the town centre through collaborative leadership.
Support, promote and empower our existing businesses; Focus our efforts on a few strategic events that will make a meaningful impact for the town and the business community; Attract new innovative businesses that complement our high street offering; and
Create a safe, welcoming environment that attracts inward investment and visitors to Dorking
The Dorking BID is utilising a four-pillar approach to execute its business plan:
Community building using digital and tech innovation
Implementing creative campaigns Developing consultative and community-driven placemaking programmes and Providing outcomes-driven business support and training
Our strategy may overlap in areas, but each pillar has distinct projects and initiatives designed to achieve our goals of:
The original ‘Inspirational Dorking’ theme focused on branding, marketing and events. Our plan includes an omnichannel approach that has already led to increased brand awareness as evidenced by our social media and earned media results.
Our team's goals include creating a vibrant and well-marketed town centre, featuring the existing Dorking offering in addition to new and innovative projects We act as a single source to advocate for, represent and help levy payers and our Dorking Community
We will raise the profile of the Dorking brand with segmented local, national and global markets using omni channel, integrated marketing and PR campaigns. We will share the unique experiences of our audiences through a brand ambassador programme to build trust and a word of mouth economy with key markets.
Generate earned media and press coverage through our creative campaigns, placemaking and events programmes. This will include developing targeted tourism campaigns and itineraries in partnership with local hotels and tourism partners. We will utilise an editorial calendar, promote evergreen content and targeted promotions on a daily basis across all social media channels.
Develop an events calendar that focuses on key events that will draw audiences to experience the best of Dorking This will continue to draw on the successful existing Dorking brand of ‘Heritage, Culture and Spirit’
Events will include large scale programmes like a Christmas Market, to heritage and historic Open Day, and potentially new business-led activities and “festivals” that include: a sustainable market, a gin and beer festival, a music and arts festival.
The BID should be a communitybuilding agent that galvanises existing groups into action, leaning into what already exists and draws upon the talent and creativity in the business community
Develop and implement a brand ambassador programme where local businesses and their customers all become brand evangelists for Dorking. Driven by the business community's need, we will provide social media training and materials to enable all audiences to advocate for the town centre.
Partner with community hubs, digital directories, tourism partners and local Dorking community groups. By developing collaborative, reciprocal partnerships with local Surrey and national organisations (i e , Surrey Hills Enterprises, Visit Surrey, Small Business Britain, Enterprise Nation, Federation of Small Business, local government partners), we will be able to help each other and strengthen Dorking as a community
Develop a broader Tourism and Marketing Forum to support and promote the local sustainable tourism offering Collaborate with local hotels, tourist attractions and partners to share Dorking promotional videos, itineraries and establish an e-magazine to complement our website to serve as an updated guide to Dorking shops and tourism offering Collaborate with partners to encourage use of Dorking facilities for events
We will advocate for solutions to the issues that matter to our levy payers, like street cleaning, traffic and parking.
We will serve as community connectors and supportive change agents to assist in positive public realm work. We will work collaboratively with all interested parties to affect these changes, where we can
We will hold the council to account when it comes to cleansing and maintenance schedules for our town centre
We are digital innovators and will work to bridge the digital divide for our customers and our levy payers, like our collaboration with MVDC on working on establishing a Banking Hub, or our rail partners to promote wayfinding and sustainable rail travel
SMEs are the largest employer in the UK We recognise that creating a safe, enjoyable town centre will encourage talent to live and work in Dorking
We are professionalising our marketing and communications offering. This includes streamlining the process of starting up a business in Dorking and placing locally sourced products in our shops and partnering with Surrey Hills Enterprises
We will update and refine our website offering to educate and inspire our customers and the public to support the BID and understand what the BID does to support the Dorking community through its levy payer membership.
We will work together towards a resilient, sustainable future for Dorking Town Centre, where our business community can affect long term change through collaborative leadership
We will develop a broader placemaking programme in partnership with key stakeholders that will transform Dorking, addressing traffic congestion, parking and issues that impact businesses and the local community.
We will produce a prospectus in collaboration with our partners to attract new businesses into town. We will not only create a document, but supporting space on our website with useful information, signposting prospective investors and startups to useful information, as well as a supporting campaign on social media
As appropriate, we will engage in national and local campaigns to beautify and keep Dorking safe We will seek out grant funding and opportunities to improve the trading environment. Together with our community partners, we will engage in litter pick ups and town-wide street clean ups that enhance town pride, and we can think creatively to make down a cleaner, safer place to live, work and invest in
In alignment with Dorking’s broader sustainability goals, we are developing our own sustainability action plan as a BID. We will work together with our community partners to establish our vision for a greener, cleaner Dorking.
We will serve as advocates for the Dorking levy paying business community We will also work hard to provide access to grant funding opportunities and also apply for grants on behalf of the BID.
It is recommended that the BID implements a committee system to encourage participation from levy payers and the community to ensure involvement and engagement in activities and events:
We are actively working on our events, digital, PR and marketing efforts to drive footfall to our high street This committee touches on all of these activities
This committee informs our visitor, retail and night time economy
This committee will focus on town beautification, policing and sustainability plans Join this team to help us look forward and position Dorking as a safe, clean and sustainable heart of the Surrey Hills
This committee looks after infrastructure, traffic, parking, and banking issues We are actively working on 'Future Dorking' with our community partners to address parking, traffic management and to future proof Dorking
Evaluation and reporting is of paramount importance to Dorking BID operations. We will ensure the BID governs in a transparent, representative, efficient and impactful way The BID Board monitors, evaluates and reports on all activities. The BID Manager submits a weekly report to the Chairman and a monthly report with the Board on all activities.
The Dorking BID should be recognised as a key contributor to Dorking’s economic recovery in partnership with its stakeholders
Referral traffic to digital spaces and directory can include: social media, share of overall traffic, bounce rate of social media traffic, and clicks on social media posts.
Increase in LoyalFree engagement and usage.
Earned Media Coverage received (By businesses in Dorking / By the Dorking BID)
Generated support for sustainability effort
Brand awareness and engagement via social media statistics across social media profiles, reach of social media posts, impressions, video views, mentions, shares, retweets, likes, replies, and comments.
Content generation and positive sentiment: Increases in testimonials, blog features, breakfast briefing speakers and attendees, other user generated content.
Downloads of materials, campaign assets, and various documents on a campaign basis.
Demonstrable pride, awareness in the place
Participation and attendance at BID events
This can be measured in: increases in footfall, increase in local investment, as well as data collected through various means that includes social media measures, downloads, clicks on lead-generation posts, and conversion rate on social media leads/campaigns.
Future Dorking support, advocacy and implementation.
Number of new shops opened annually
Award nominations and wins generated both by the BID and by businesses
Attendance and sentiment related to BID ‘town hall’ meetings.
Attendance at BID sessions, networking, and briefings.
Grant support identified or generated.
Positive Sentiment / Support from levy payers and community: responses, testimonials and feedback across social media, e-mails and survey responses.
The BID will monitor baseline services provided by the council to ensure those services meet a minimum standard and will have distinct and separate performance measures to ensure best value for levy payers
Tree pruning, weed control, hedge cutting, planter maintenance
Car parks, parking enforcement, traffic wardens (off street)
Maintenance of street furniture (cleaning, painting, replacement)
General street cleaning (litter picking, bin emptying, sweeping, spot
Road/Pavement maintenance (signage, pavements, potholes, gully cleansing)
Economic development and the visitor economy
Car parks, parking enforcement, traffic wardens (on street)
Mole Valley District Council
Surrey County Council
Open, transparent and consistent communications are of paramount importance to us.
We utilise an integrated, omni channe approach to ensure we are communicating effectively via social media, via email, and on our website We send email newsletters and communicate using ad hoc email shots for emergency communications We have an open door policy and have established a feedback loop via an online suggestion system.
The Dorking BID is committed to building a strong community that serves as brand advocates for our town. By creating trust and positive relationships with our local community and visitors, our business community will thrive.
We are dedicated to acting in the best interests of our broader Dorking community through our work. We are building a word of mouth economy that supports each other and creates a stronger network that looks after each other.
The Dorking BID operates as a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee –company number 09936170 The BID Levy is collected by Mole Valley District Council on behalf of the BID Company and the income is then used to deliver the strategy and projects which have been outlined in this plan Every eligible business in the BID area will pay the BID levy. Examples are shown in the table below:
Any BID levy payer or equivalent financial contributor is eligible to become a member of the management company, in this case Dorking Town Partnership This enables you to take part in the decision making process, as well as to stand for and vote in the Board of Director elections which will be held in the first year.
The first term of the Dorking BID was managed by Dorking Town Partnership Ltd. The second term will continue with the same governance arrangements. It will be the body responsible for the delivery of the BID services and it will employ staff as appropriate to implement the BID Board’s programme on a day to day basis. It will enter into an Operating Agreement with the Mole Valley District Council covering the arrangements for the collection of the BID Levy and the operation of the BID Revenue Account
Dorking Town Partnership Ltd is a private company limited by guarantee It has a voluntary Board of Directors comprising of BID levy payers and other key stakeholders representing the BID area sectorally and geographically It is governed by its Articles of Association and will publish annual accounts and holds an annual meeting.
Company Limited by Guarantee, Dorking Town Partnership will ensure it meets all its statutory duties including the filing of annual accounts In relation to the BID Regulations of 2004, it will also ensure, with the Billing Authority, the sound management BID Revenue Account through a Monitoring Group, which will meet at least once a year as set out in the Operating Agreement. Updated budget for the Dorking BID Business Plan 2022-2027 is as follows: Loanfortheballotofupto£25,000fromMVDCwillbepayableinYearOneinfourequalinstalmentswithinterestat25%abovethebaserate
BIDs across the UK on average generate 10% in additional income through their lifetime. Dorking BID will endeavour to do this through sponsorship, grant funding and other income generating activities
A voluntary investment can be made by businesses that are exempt such as those that have a rateable value under £8,000 and those outside the BID area This will entitle them to selected projects and services outlined in this business plan as well as full rights as members in the management and governance of the BID company. Details and eligibility will be set by the Board.
The current Board of the Directors of the Dorking Town Partnership would manage the BID. They are as follows:
ANDREW FULLER SC Fuller - Chairman
NICK BOOT Bullimores
BASIL DOHA Mullins Coffee Shop
ROGER JONES Deepdene - KNOX
ANDREW MAGNANI Mayflower Spa
RICK PARISH Sophic Finance
TERESA WELLER Teresa Weller Hair Art
COUNCILLOR CLAYTON WELLMAN MVDC
The Dorking BID, led by your BID Board and managed by your BID Manager, is already making a positive impact. In 2023, the BID Team is raising awareness of Dorking's offerings, increasing town pride, and making a difference to our members and community.
Since February 2023, your BID Team has delivered the following average monthly results for our levy payers:
We send member and community email messaging nearly every week to our audiences. Levy payer and general audience open rates exceeded the 21% industry average: 37.9% and 46.4% respectively. In 2023, we welcomed six new voluntary levy payers to the BID
The BID was shortlisted for an Association of Town and City Management (ATCM) award for Best Social and Community Scheme for the DorKing Coronation The BID was also invited to present Coronation planning best practices at the ATCM meeting of BID and town city managers group and the BID and town received a letter from the Royal Household congratulating the organisation and all participants for the Coronation event
Together with the BID Board, this team is executing an omnichannel marketing and PR strategy, a digital transformation, creative campaigns, placemaking, and business support vision to transform Dorking high street.
JUST A QUICK EMAIL TO THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU ARE DOING TO PROMOTE THE TOWN AND LOCAL COMPANIES.
Scotts of Dorking
The following streets are included in the Dorking BID area either in whole or part:
Allen Court
Ansell Road
Church Street
Constable Court
Dene Street
Hart Gardens
Hart Road
High Street
Horsham Road
Jubilee Terrace
Junction Road
London Road
Lyons Court
Meadowbrook Road
Mill Lane
Moores Road
New Parade
North Street
Old Kings Head Court
Old Printers Yard
Parsonage Square
Queen’s Crescent
Reigate Road
Rose Hill
South Street
Spring Gardens
St Martins Walk
Station Road
The Chine
Wathen Road
West Street
1. The BID Regulations of 2004, approved by the Government, sets out a legal framework within which BIDs have to operate, including the way in which the levy is charged and collected, and how the ballot is conducted.
2. The term of the Dorking BID will commence on 01 December 2022 for a period of five years
3. The levy is fixed and will not be subject to variation by the annual rate of inflation
4. VAT will not be charged on the BID levy.
5 The BID levy will be applied to all eligible business ratepayers within the defined area of the BID with a rateable value of £8000 or more
The following exemptions to the BID Levy will also apply:
• Organisations with a rateable value below £8,000
• Non-retail charities, with no paid staff, trading income, arm or facilities
• Entirely, not-for-profit, subscription and volunteer-based organisations.
6. The levy will be a fixed rate of 2% based on the rateable value per hereditament as at 1st April each year using the most current NonDomestic Ratings list It will be updated for any changes in ratepayer appeals, additions or removals.
7. The BID levy will be paid by any new ratepayer occupying any existing hereditaments (a business rated property) within the BID area.
8 New hereditaments will be charged from the point of occupation based on the rateable value at the time it enters the rating list, even though they did not vote on the initial proposal.
9 If a business ratepayer occupies premises for less than one year, the amount of BID levy payable will be calculated on a daily basis
10. Empty properties, those undergoing refurbishment or being demolished, will be liable for the BID levy via the registered business ratepayer with no void period
11. The BID levy will not be affected by the small business rate relief scheme, service charges paid to landlords, exemptions, relief or discounts prescribed in the NonDomestic Rating (Collection and Enforcement) (Local Lists) Regulations 1989 made under the Local Government Finance Act 1988.
12. In compliance with the BID Regulations of 2004, Mole Valley District Council will collect the levy on behalf of the BID Company.
13 Collection and enforcement arrangements will be similar to those for the collection and enforcement of non-domestic business rates with the BID Company responsible for any debt write off. The BID area and the levy rate cannot be altered without a further ballot
14. The BID area, levy rate and exemptions cannot be changed without an alteration ballot. The BID projects, costs and timescales can be altered with the agreement of the BID Board.
15. The BID Board will meet at least six times a year Every levy paying business will be eligible to be a member of the BID Company and vote at Annual General Meetings.
The Dorking BID is committed to minimising its impact on the environment and promoting sustainability through continuous improvement. Our business practices are environmentally responsible and socially responsible.
Environmental Impact: We will encourage our members to conduct an annual assessment of environmental impact and identify areas where we can make positive changes.
Supplier Engagement: We will work with our suppliers to promote sustainable practices, reduce waste, and reduce emissions
Energy Efficiency: We will aim to reduce our energy consumption and emissions by implementing energy-efficient technologies and promoting the use of renewable energy sources.
Waste Reduction: We will aim to reduce waste by using more environmentally-friendly products and recycling as much as possible
Water Conservation: We will aim to reduce our water usage and promote water conservation efforts.
Employee Engagement: We will educate and engage our employees in our sustainability efforts and promote environmentally-friendly behaviours in the workplace.
Community Outreach: We will engage with local communities and participate in environmentally-friendly initiatives
Sustainability Reporting: We will report on our sustainability efforts and progress, including our carbon footprint, waste reduction, and energy consumption.
Continual Improvement: We will monitor and improve our sustainability practices to ensure that we are reducing our impact on the environment and promoting sustainability
We believe that achieving net zero is a journey, not a destination. We encourage the following activities.
Front Cover: Tiffany Budd
Dorking Camera Club
Rosie Riordan
Kathy Kyle
Window Art: Samantha Temple Milne
