BID battle to win hearts and minds as DingwBID battle for hearts and minds as Dingwall proposal seeks support
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CAMPAIGNERS who believe a business improvement district could be a game-changer for Ross-shire’s county town are facing an uphill battle convincing some of its key High Street players the concept is worth forking out for.
Some of the town’s most well-respected traders have said they are too much in the dark about the project to commit to it despite months of work that sought to reach out to those concerned.
This emerged during a drop-in session in the Town Hall aimed at connecting with business people in the town and clarifying any questions about a BID where traders spoke of their concerns.
Among the main issues raised was a lack of clarity on what initiatives the project invest and whether they could benefit the town, as well as how it would function and be administered.
Amy Deas, whose family has been the proprietor of Deas Bakers for at least three generations with two shops on the High Street as well as other businesses said she would be unwilling to agree to anything “until I am fully confident” it would do good.
“I have concerns with not knowing what my money is going to be spent on, and not knowing what the benefits of that will be – I don’t think we have been given the relevant information with regards to the benefits that have been seen in other BID areas.
“I certainly don’t feel informed. I don’t feel that it has been comprehensively distributed throughout the community.
“I think that local businesses are being pushed economically by the government, we have seen an increase in our pension payment obligations, we have seen an increase in our wages and production costs are going through the roof. It hits us where it hurts.
“We try to keep our prices very reasonable because we have very loyal customers and it is extremely difficult to explain to somebody, who is coming in and maybe spending part of their pension because they enjoy our rolls and have done for years, on why we have had to pass that cost on to them.
“I feel almost that it is being foist upon us and I don’t think people particularly enjoy feeling that they will have no choice and I am looking for more information.
“I would like to know about tangible projects that have happened elsewhere and the impact of local businesses elsewhere that they have seen. I need to see the benefits - I am not prepared to sign up to anything until I am fully confident.”
Callum Brooker is a business development manager who offers assistance to the different BIDs across Scotland said he "definitely" found business improvement districts work for communities.
He said: "I would say the biggest things are patience and engagement, obviously stuff doesn't happen over night but if people keep plugging away and keep engaging and really tailoring the BID to what they want specifically then the sky is the limit.
"If you really tailor it to what the local businesses want and the right people on the steering groups and the boards and the right business owners behind them it then it can really do a lot of good.
"I have seen a lot of examples all over Scotland with BIDs we have worked with that have really benefitted the BID communities, including in towns like Dingwall."
MP Ian Blackford is an enthusiastic supporter of the project and turned up to offer his support.
He said: “Small rural economies, such as the one we have here in Dingwall, can benefit hugely from local people putting themselves forward to channel the strengths that the area has.
"This business-led initiative is a fantastic example of local business’s getting together for the greater good. There is much evidence to show that Business Improvement Districts (BID) have benefitted local communities across Scotland.
"For these reasons, I fully back efforts to make Dingwall a BID district. In a time that budgets across the board are tight I feel it is imperative that unique opportunities to strengthen the local economy such as this are not passed up.
"This initiative is in no way a replacement for national or local government funding, however, the benefits of it have already been proven elsewhere. I would encourage all involved to back these efforts and let us all work together for a better Dingwall.”
BID project manager George Murray said: “All in all I think it was a successful day, we had a lot of people come in and many were very supportive saying you can put me down as a yes. But more importantly we found out what people have doubts about so we know now what we have to address.
“One businesswoman said the Highland Council should listen to us without having to pay for BID. First of all, she is right, I couldn’t agree more but does it happen? No.
“Parking charges is the most obvious example. I doubt there is a single business in town who thinks it will be good but they are still willing to go ahead and try.
“Clearly, that is what BID can do well and is not being done at all now. The effect of someone representing 270 businesses approaching the council and telling them it is unacceptable.
“If I was a councillor or an MSP then I would start counting how many votes from employers, employees, their families and the community that loses me. That is what BID can make people think about.
“Already today we have had Ian Blackford here – it is an indication of how people sit up and take notice of BIDs.
“Clearly, though, there is still work to be done and we are happy to do it, we need to let people understand what this can be. I was asked so many times what will BID do. The answer is what the traders themselves decide, that is such a simple concept that I think it passed some people by.”
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