Voting opened on 2 June for businesses to keep city centre champions Gloucester BID for five more years.

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The BID, which stands for Business Improvement District, is an independent, business-led and funded body. Gloucester BID operates within Gloucester city centre and provides vital services for businesses such as the patrolling City Protection Officers and the Gloucester Gift Card scheme. It also provides the colourful summer planters and helps fund key footfall-driving events in the city including Tall Ships and Gloucester Goes Retro.

They aim to secure a majority yes vote for a second term ballot, to run to 2027. They have sent out the Ballot papers to 543 member businesses and voting officially opened on Thursday 2 June 2022.  The member businesses will be able to vote on whether they want it to continue with Gloucester BID or not and they have until Thursday 30 June 2022 to return their ballot paper.

BID Manager Emily Gibbon said: “Gloucester BID is incredibly proud of what it has achieved during its first term, much of which has been set against unprecedented challenges for traders thanks to lockdowns, restrictions and ensuing economic uncertainty. We are champions for Gloucester and, through schemes like the Gloucester Gift Card, introduced to dozens of local businesses through the BID, city shops, bars, cafes and more have been supported back to normality."

Gloucester BID has set out to deliver on three key priority areas - safer city, attractive and vibrant city, and supported and promoted city - and it is these pillars around which the next five-year business plan is built. Without Gloucester BID the city will lose shcemes such as City Protection Officers and Night Safe Officers, the summer planters seen around the gate streets, the Gloucester Gift Card, funding for events such as the Tall Ships and Gloucester Goes Retro, and an organisation that advocates for the city.

Since 2017, Gloucester BID has had a very positive effect on the city and has since welcomed new members to their board which is made up of a variery of local business owners.

If you are one of their 543 business members, please remember to vote Yes for Gloucester BID by Thursday 30 June to ensure that their incredible work can continue for a second term.

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Gloucester BID Business Plan