CONTRIBUTION NOTICE FEBRUARY 2024 – JANUARY 2025
The sixth year of BID Leicester’s delivery was the first of the BID’s second term, which will see 3.8m in investment into the city between 2023-28. As BID Leicester enters its 7th year, we reflect on the accomplishments of the past and set our sights on the future. In 2023, we contributed towards making the city centre a safer environment for night-time visitors by launching Best Bar None in Leicester, a nationally recognised accreditation scheme highlighting the best of Leicester’s hospitality, promoting safe socialising and responsible management. The scheme culminated in 47 businesses achieving accreditation and an awards evening attended by over 150 people at the City Rooms. We operated an innovative night time first aid service in partnership with St. John Ambulance, which provided reassurance to businesses and more than 1,000 interventions to keep the public safe, and in some cases, save lives. Leicester's renewal of the Purple Flag status in March highlighted the strength of our partnership working with Leicester City Council, Leicestershire Police and you, our BID levy paying businesses. Our Street Ambassador service continued to be a reassuring presence on the streets, reporting anti-social behaviour and giving reassurance and information to visitors and businesses like. Our dedicated street washing service made sure that our pavements and public spaces are visibly cleaner. Our contactless giving campaign, GIVE Leicester, gathered £11,269 in donations, meaning that a total of £56,652 has been raised to date to support people affected by homelessness in the city centre. Sales of the Leicester Gift Card increased dramatically in 2023, with more than £154,000 sold so far, helping to lock additional spend into the city centre for BID businesses. The year also saw delivery of 7 high-profile events which have captivated audiences, raised the profile of the city, increased visitor numbers and driven footfall. This included the hugely successful Leicester Monsters trail, which more than 80,000 people explored in October. A change in the Rateable Value of hereditaments in the BID area will result in a 19% reduction in total levy invoicing. Whilst this creates a challenge for the BID company, we intend to remain ambitious in delivering our projects, events and services. Your resounding support empowers us to channel £3.8 million into the city from 2023 to 2028, fortifying the city centre’s growth, stability, and prosperity. Our commitment to you, our city centre businesses, remains steadfast. We are proud to work collaboratively with such an outstanding group of businesses across the BID area and will continue to act as a positive voice, raise your profile and deliver a real impact for the city centre as a whole. Simon Jenner, BID Leicester Director