Betterbankside.co.uk Website Review

About us | Better Bankside

Better Bankside is a Business Improvement District. Its job is to make Bankside a thriving place to work, live and visit. We are a non-profit company limited by guarantee, run by and for our members. The company has no share capital, and any surpluses generated are reinvested into the company's services. Better Bankside was the third BID to be established in the UK. A Business Improvement District (BID) is an independent, business-owned and led company, which seeks to improve a given location for commercial activity. Better Bankside's members are the 620+ companies in the BID area who pay its annual 'levy'. Many of these are heavily involved in the governance of the company. Every five years, member businesses vote on the continuation of the BID for another five year 'term'. Our last vote took place on 28 November 2014. In achieving its aims, Better Bankside continually seeks the comments of the membership on its services. We do this in three main ways: Our board meets every six weeks to review progress Eight theme groups, meeting periodically, agree the elements of the programme An annual survey gauges awareness of, and satisfaction with the programme Through the board and theme groups Better Bankside intends that over 80 local businesses are involved in the governance of the company. Get involved. Better Bankside also invites contact with its staff at the Bankside Community Space, with its Bankside Wardens, through Business Club events, and through regular newsletters and the website. Each levy payer is eligible to become a member of the company, but does need to apply. Others can apply to join at the discretion of the board. The Annual General Meeting provides an opportunity for all members to ask questions of the board and to stand for election to it. Better Bankside would like to extend its thanks to all those who have contributed to the operation of the company to this time. Company Structure and Theme Groups As indicated, five of the theme groups include members from outside the BID area. What is a Business Improvement District? The legislation to create Business Improvement Districts here was approved by parliament in September 2004. Better Bankside was one of the first BIDs to be established in the UK. Business Improvement Districts are fast becoming a global success story – there are thousands throughout the world, including 1400 in the US and growing numbers in South Africa and Canada. BID services must always be additional to those provided by the local authority and others. Better Bankside, like many other Business Improvement Districts, has a core programme which includes Cleaning, Greening and Safety. See the full list of services available to our members in the 'Our Services' section. A Business Improvement District can only come into existence if it is approved in a ballot. If it secures this approval, it is funded by a compulsory 'levy' on all eligible businesses within the boundaries it has set. After five years its future must be reviewed and – if it hasn't performed to businesses expectations it will not continue. Better Bankside has been approved in three ballots. The first was in 2005 (see results below) and the second was in 2010. The latest ballot took place on 28 November 2014 where we received an overwhelming 88% majority, you can see the results here. How does this work in Bankside? The following businesses were eligible to vote: If your business fell within the Business Improvement District area (see the BID area map) If the total rateable values of these business premises were £17,500 or more If your business premises were not advertising rights, car parks or communications stations (e.g. mobile phone masts) Following the ballot success, Better Bankside has a mandate to collect an annual 'levy' on eligible businesses, equivalent to 1.2% of the rateable value of their premises. How we will invest income to improve the area We propose to invest in excess of £8million across the Better Bankside area over the 2015-20 term. From April 2015 the extended Better Bankside area will generate a total annual levy income of £1,608,500. Levy income is supplemented by a range of non-levy sources. During the 2010-15 term we matched the BID levy with levered-in investment from grants and external organisations. A breakdown of the investment across themes is as follows. View the financial statements for the year ending March 2016 accounts at the bottom of this page ( able PDF). Non-levy income In addition to the income that is derived from the levy Better Bankside is developing other sources of income: Voluntary subscriptions from businesses which are non-levy paying because they are below £17,500 rateable value or outside the BID geographical area Voluntary contributions to corporate social responsibility Voluntary landowners contributions Funding applications for projects from sources such as the GLA, EU, local government, TfL and several others. From April 2015 the BID boundary was extended west to Blackfriars Road, south along Great Suffolk Street and east to Borough High Street stretching down Borough High Street to Borough Station. The area includes more than 620 eligible businesses. The BID area also includes business premises in the Yards and Courts off the relevant section of Borough High Street – George Inn Yard, King's Head Yard, Maidstone Buildings Mews and White Hart Yard. See our 2015-2020 BID arrangements, terms, details and exact area inclusions.

Ballot 2014 | Better Bankside

This November we are asking you to vote for another five years of Better Bankside – of improving Bankside as a place to be and to do business, of supporting the wellbeing of employees as well as the wider local community, and of looking ahead to an even stronger future. We propose to extend the Better Bankside area west to Blackfriars Road and south down Great Suffolk Street. This will widen our business network and deliver more value to all members through economies of scale. We are excited to welcome these new businesses and look forward to working with them. Every five years we ballot local businesses to make sure they want Better Bankside to continue. We have been active in the area since 2000 and after being established in the 2005 ballot, an even higher majority of 86% voted yes in 2010. At the end of October a nominated voting contact at your business will receive a pink voting paper for each hereditament (rateable property) you occupy. Ballot papers should be completed and posted back by 28 November 2014. If a majority votes yes, Better Bankside’s third term starts on 1 April 2015. 2015 – 2020 Proposal Over the past few months we have been working closely with local businesses to form the 2015 – 2020 strategy for Bankside. our Proposal for Extending and Renewing Better Bankside. Further information about how Better Bankside will be managed, funded and run is available here. 2015 -2020 Budget We propose to invest in excess of £8million across the Better Bankside area over the five year term. Budgetary planning for the 2015-2020 term will be based on the same framework as the current lifetime budget, which shows expenditure and income for the current five-year term (view current lifetime budget here) . This will be developed to respond to the new challenges and opportunities of Better Bankside’s extended area in the new term. The Theme Groups and, subsequently, the Board will start this detailed budgetary planning for 2015-2020 soon after the ballot result is announced in December 2014. If you would like to join other businesses in contributing to this process please contact Peter Williams (CEO) on 020 7928 3998. Better Bankside is an independent non-profit company limited by guarantee. our Memorandum and Articles of ociation.

Ballot Supporters | Better Bankside

What our supporters say

Our Last Ballot | Better Bankside

On 28th November 2014 the businesses in the Bankside area voted overwhelmingly for another five year term, with 88% in favour and 42% turnout in terms of numbers and 76% in favour and 55% turnout in terms of rateable value.This increases the majority by numbers won in 2010. The ballot extends the life of the Better Bankside Business Improvement District (BID) to 2020 and expands our area from 460 businesses to 620+, including the area south along Great Suffolk Street and west to Blackfriars Road. The result means better security and cleaning, more pink bikes, tables, chairs; free recycling, better and smarter travel and Bankside Buzz card offers. Commenting on the ballot outcome, Better Bankside CEO, Peter Williams, said: “It’s been a pleasure for the team to see so many of our members during the course of the ballot. The extended membership represents a wide range of size and type of company, and hearing their different experiences of operating in Bankside has been invaluable in planning for the next five years. We are very grateful for the incredible level of support indicated by the ballot result, and very determined to provide the highest level of service in return.” Total number of votes cast 320 (Turnout by numbers) 42% Aggregate rateable value of votes cast £78,515,509 (Turnout by rateable value) 55% Votes in favour 283 (Votes in favour as percentage of turnout) 88% Votes in favour by rateable value £59,610,009 (Votes in favour as percentage of turnout) 76%

Our Neighbourhood | Better Bankside

We work closely with many local groups and stakeholders to ensure that we are working together to ensure a better Bankside for everyone. Explore this section to find out about our work: - In the Community - With other local stakeholders as part of the Bankside Urban Forest - With Developers in Bankside - With transport providers in the area through our Travel Planning - With the Bankside Resident's Forum