Scunthorpe High Street has, over the years, come in for some criticism over the years for the lack of major retailers, car parking charges, the untidiness and the general appeal of the area. Large proportions of the blame are directed towards North Lincolnshire Council who has been accused of not actively promoting the town, not listening to residents concerns and ideas. The Foundry & Parishes shopping centers have their own management teams to promote their respective areas and there’s also the Scunthorpe Town Team though this was set up to represent the interests of the beneficiaries of the Scunthorpe Urban Renaissance Programme and to oversee the implementation of the major renaissance projects taking place in the town as a whole.

The High Street seen a long slow degeneration from a once bustling ashtetically pleasing, high occupancy, quality retail area to a shabbily appearing, low quality retail thoroughfare that is urgently in need of rejuvenation. Gone have the large stores and independent family owned retailers to be replaced by ‘Quick cash’ shops, agency recruitment offices, sanwhich shops and ‘down market’ cafes.

The demise has also seen the pedestrianised area suffering from cyclist, smelly drains, pigeons, litter, chuggers and groups of men sat about intimidating shoppers, all this open to what ever the weather throws at us. Marks & Spencer move out of the town on 6th January this year which left another major void in the High Street. Whilst out of town shopping areas thrive & more people use Internet Shopping the ToLet boards are in abundance along the High Street and the horizon doesn’t look any brighter.

So what can be done?
One idea could be to look at creating a Business Improvement District (BID).

A Business Improvement District (BID) is a defined geographical area usually a town or city centre in which partners pull together to create a better place in which to live, work and visit. They are not run by the local authority nor are they exclusively in the hands of businesses. They are designed to bring together people from business and from the providers of public services in partnership to identify and deliver the action that is needed to improve their area. Neither do they replace local councils, Police Authorities or other public bodies; but do work with those organizations to enhance them and to provide additional services.

Business Improvement District where introduced to the UK in 2004 and there are currently 112 operating throughout the country. BIDs can only be set up by a ballot of businesses in the relevant geographical area. For a BID to be approved the vote needs to deliver a 51% majority in terms of the number of businesses and the ratable value of the business premises.
A successful vote gives a BID a lifespan of up to five years. Funding throughout that period is raised by a mandatory levy contribution from the businesses equivalent to one per cent of their ratable value. These businesses are referred to as hereditaments.

For ease of administration the funding is collected by the local authority along with other statutory payments. It is then passed straight to the BID. The local authority does not have any influence over how the money is spent, other than through its status as a BID member business.

The sort of improvements that a BID may seek to introduce may involve safety and security, cleaning and environmental measures, improved promotion and marketing of the area and more public events. In towns and cities where BIDs already operate there is mixed reactions to how beneficial it is to local businesses, some argue that they already pay for these services through their business rates and see it as an extra Tax, whereas others actively supports BIDs, saying they help bring additional vitality to the area because they don’t subsidise or replace services, they enhance them.

What ever the future holds for Scunthorpe town centre something needs to be done to try and revive a flagging High Street, could a Business Improvement District proved an answer? Would businesses in Scunthorpe support a BID to help reduce or even remove all car parking charges?

For more information about Business Improvement Districts see link;

http://www.britishbids.info/