Minister for London Tony McNulty has launched the UK’s first Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) website.
www.londonbids.info/ will focus on the pilot BIDs programme led by the Central London Partnership, called the Circle Initiative.
It will provide information on establishing and managing BIDs, alongside case studies from the US.
McNulty said: “Business Improvement Districts will see local authorities and local businesses working together for the benefit of the local community and this website will provide them with a rich set of resources to draw on.”
Stephen Ashworth, the chairman of the Circle Initiative, said: “We hope that the launch of this website will further increase awareness and ultimately lead to the creation of successful BIDs throughout the country.”
The Circle Initiative is funded through a £4.6m single regeneration budget (SRB) from the London Development Agency (LDA), with the City of Westminster as the accountable body.
The five partnerships – Better Bankside, Circle Waterloo, the Holborn Business Partnership, Paddington Circle and the Piccadilly Circus Partnership – are being funded over a five-year period starting from 2001.
EGi News 04/11/02
