Hello
Visit Royal Sutton Coldfield BID is an independent, not for profit, non-political, business-led organisation working to create an improved environment for businesses in Sutton Coldfield town centre. We are similar to a town centre management company in that we deliver initiatives and organise events to raise the profile of the town centre to boost footfall and increase sales turnover for local businesses, raise awareness of local companies and their services and help to make the town an even more appealing place to shop, study, work and visit.
We are 100% funded by local businesses through a compulsory levy invoiced and collected by Birmingham City Council (separate to business rates) and those funds are transferred in their entirety to the BID company to invest in initiatives, events and projects above those already provided for by the Police, Town and City Council. We have a responsibility to ensure that BID businesses do not pay twice therefore and we cannot subsidise or pay for initiatives or services that are or should be provided by the Police, Town Council or City Council or that are provided to other areas that do not have BID status; this ensures that BID Members receive added value.
Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) nationwide provide a mechanism for businesses in a designated area such as a town, city centre or business park to pool their resources and invest in an agreed set of projects and services.
Our BID boundary begins on Lichfield Road and includes Mitre Court, Sutton Coldfield College, the Police station, High Street, Midland Drive, Mill Street, Coleshill Street, The Parade, Gracechurch Shopping Centre, Brassington Avenue, South Parade, Newhall Retail Park, Duke Street, Holland Street, Birmingham Road and finishes at the cinema.
Visit Royal Sutton Coldfield BID was first established back in 2011 and we are now in our third 5-year term after a successful reballot in 2021 providing us with a mandate to deliver a new set of proposals between 2022-2017. We will next be going to reballot in autumn / winter 2026 and during that year we will be seeking views and ideas from local businesses on the projects and initiatives they would like us to focus on in our fourth BID term 2027-2031.
Constituted by UK law under The Local Government Act 2003 and The Business Improvement Districts (England) Regulations 2004, a BID is a powerful, independent voice representing the interests of a varied community of businesses across all sectors from retail and hospitality to leisure and offices, committed to working together to ensure that the town continues to progress whilst providing the best possible trading and working environment for its occupiers.
Since they were first introduced in the U.K in 2004, BID’s have replaced old style town centre management companies and traders associations whereby some businesses would contribute but all businesses would benefit and a BID levy structure ensures that contributions are fair.
The majority of towns and cities have Business Improvement District (BID) status and there are 350 established BIDs in the UK including Solihull, Leamington Spa, Stratford Upon Avon, Coventry, Cheltenham, Bath, Worcester, Nottingham, Stoke on Trent and there are even 11 BIDs in Birmingham alone. This is why it is important for Sutton Coldfield to maintain BID status, so that our town can remain competitive and provide the mechanism and the funding to host high profile events and deliver initiatives to support local businesses.
As a business led and business funded organisation, the BID will raise £1.2million to invest in Sutton Coldfield town centre over the current five year term 2022-2027, raised from a levy of 1.53% of the rateable value of eligible business premises. BID levy is calculated as a percentage of properties rateable value and not business rates. All business premises with a rateable value of £7,500 RV and above are subject to the BID levy in Sutton Coldfield town centre. Example BID levy contributions in Sutton Coldfiield include Simpson’s Gin Bar paying £156.00 BID levy per year, Adventure Graphics paying £123.00 in BID levy, The Rhodehouse pays £459.00, H&M pays £2,937.00 and Sutton College and House of Fraser each pay £5,000.00 per annum. Overall with 377 businesses contributing 1.53% of their business premises rateable value it raises circa £240,000.00 each year.
As well as our 400 levy payers, Visit Royal Sutton Coldfield BID is also happy to work with businesses outside of the town centre who want to support our initiatives and the town centre. These are known as voluntary BID levy payers. For more information about becoming a voluntary levy payer, please get in touch.