FAQs

  • As a BID levy payer, you will be required to pay one annual payment towards the BID each year for five years, starting on
    April 1, 2025.

    This payment will be calculated at 1.75% of the rateable value for each individual property. This is a small increase on the 1.4% charged in the current BID term and is necessary due to falling rateable values which means many businesses will still pay less in actual BID levy in the new BID. If you would like to know your current and projected BID levies, you can email steve.hughes@citycentrebid.co.uk

    There will be no inflationary increase in the BID levy, so your annual payment will be the same each year for five years.

    Businesses with a rateable value of less than £6,500 are exempt from the BID levy but not excluded from the wider benefits of the scheme. This will help micro businesses and start-ups.

    For many small businesses, savings available via
    the BID exceed the annual BID levy payment. These include: trade waste recycling, digital marketing,
    city centre promotional spaces and Visit Plymouth bronze membership which entitles your business to a basic listing worth £250 a year on the Visit Plymouth website. These opportunities are all included in your BID levy payment.

    The average annual city centre BID levy payment in the new BID will be: £911 (£17.52 a week).

  • It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

  • We issue regular newsletters via email to keep you informed of projects, services and opportunities to promote your business. We also include vital business information on events, city centre developments, footfall, vacant units and issues including planning, parking, road closures.

    You can also find the latest city centre news and information on our website: www.citycentrebid.co.uk and via our social media channels.

    We hold regular networking events and occasional business workshops and you can contact our BID management team by phone or email.

    BID company members are entitled to attend our Annual Meeting.

  • We want to make sure the money we spend is making an impact in the areas that are important to you and that you recognise the value of your investment in the BID.

    We will source information to measure the economic vitality of the city centre in areas such as: footfall, spend, occupancy rates, public transport and parking.

    Much of this information will be available in real time via a new data hub set up by Visit Plymouth and other partners to give you extra information to help you make business decisions based on evidence.

    Most importantly, we will ask you how we are performing via an annual BID levy payer survey, networking and face-to-face meetings.

  • A BID is a successful way of providing extra services in line with what businesses believe will improve the trading environment. The renewed BID will give your business a stronger voice on city centre issues, bring in thousands of extra visitors through our events programme and provide investment for city centre projects and services.

  • Business rates are a property tax used to fund national and local services and you have no control over those spending decisions. All the money raised from the BID is invested in the city centre.

  • No. The BID is a business-led, independent, not-for-profit company. All projects have to be in addition to those provided by the council. Where the BID procures services from the council, these services are monitored through service level agreements. The council is the single biggest contributor to the BID levy fund.

  • This proposal has been drawn up after extensive consultation with BID levy payers and stakeholders. All the projects detailed in this plan have been identified as important by city centre businesses. All levy payers can raise issues with our voluntary Board members or BID champions, who are drawn from across-section of city centre businesses, or contact our executive team.