Crawley council leader asks 'what comes now?' after town centre BID renewal is voted down

BIDs, as they are known, are independent business-led, business-funded organisations formed to improve an area.

Crawley’s town centre BID has been running since 2020 and confidence was high that it would be renewed for another five years.

But that confidence was dashed earlier this month when a ballot of its various members saw them vote against its renewal, effectively ending the BID.

During a meeting of the full council on Wednesday (March 26), Conservative leader Duncan Crow asked Michael Jones: “What can the council do for the town centre now that the BID is folding?”

There are concerns up and down the country about the decline of town centres, due in part to the convenience and popularity of on-line shopping.

In Crawley, the BID delivered a range of projects and events which were designed to make the town centre safer and more vibrant, and make businesses feel more connected. More than £2.25m has been invested in the town centre since 2020.

Mr Jones cast the council’s vote in favour of renewing the BID but, of the 294 votes cast, 146 were in favour and 148 against. The turnout was 58.46%.

Calling the outcome ‘unfortunate’, he said it was too early to say what precisely could be done. But he made it clear that the council could not be expected to step in and plug any financial gaps.

Mr Jones said: “The BIDs by their very nature are designed in order to raise revenue to be spent on things that wouldn’t otherwise normally be functions of a local council, the local police, a local authority.

“That is why they are there – they are there to add value. If the businesses involved do not wish to take advantage of those benefits, that is entirely a matter for them.

“But the expectation, particularly in times when local government is in severe financial hardship, cannot be that the local authority will come in and make up the shortfall.

“It would be, in some respects, giving the wrong signal to businesses that it is perfectly acceptable to vote ‘no’ and there are no consequences.”

Mr Jones said the town centre would now have to ‘take on challenges in new ways’. There is talk of another group being formed but he said they would have to ‘wait and see how that goes’.

He added: “Whatever happens, we are keeping it under review. If local businesses in the town centre wish to do something different in order to help support themselves, I think the council will be receptive and at least try to facilitate that support. But financial commitments cannot be made.”