One Maidstone Business Improvement District Business Plan 2023-2028

BUSINESS PLAN

One Maidstone Business Improvement District 2023 -

One Maidstone, the Business Improvement District (BID) for Maidstone town centre, has been delivering services to our area since receiving a Yes vote for our first five year term in 2018.

The past five years have been an exciting and challenging time, presenting the opportunity for us to work together as a family of businesses sometimes in circumstances which none of us could have predicted- but we have successfully satisfied the objectives that you, our business community, set for us.

We are ready to continue the work that has been done and we invite you to consider the contents of this business plan for a new five year term and vote in favour of the BID continuing to support the trading environment into 2028.

The BID is an opportunity for you, the business community, to have a say in what happens in your town centre. Your levy investment can only be used on projects within our immediate area and will be used on the activities that you have highlighted as a priority and will support the businesses community as a collective group.

For our proposed next term, we have decided to present our plans in a slightly different

way, with the use of a video to accompany the hard copy of this Business Plan. You will see a QR code at the beginning of each chapter which will lead you to a short video presenting an overview of the various projects that section contains.

We hope that you enjoy exploring the business plan and finding out what One Maidstone will set out to deliver if the ballot has a positive result. We love working with you and we love working in Maidstone and want to extend our grateful thanks to our businesses and partners. Without you none of this would have been possible and it is thanks to your vision, enthusiasm, and stamina that we are able to realise Maidstone’s potential.

You are a valued member of a 500 strong business family. Your input and levy contributions will see approximately £2.5million of investment into your town centre over the next five years. It is no coincidence that we chose One Maidstone as the name of the BID as we know that we are stronger together.

We have one goal for the future, and one history to build on, we are One Maidstone. Please vote yes for the BID this June.

Ulric Allsebrook Chairman, One Maidstone BID

WELCOME

MANAGE

A focus for the early stages of One Maidstone BID were to improve the experience and appeal of the town centre by making it safer, cleaner, and brighter.

The Proposed Projects Included:

• Street Ambassadors

• Tackling crime and anti-social behaviour

• Promotion and development of Business Crime Reduction Partnership

• Street scene improvements

WE DELIVERED:

• A 24-hour CCTV monitoring service throughout town from a locally based Control Room

• An ambassador team who patrol the streets daily and provide support and security for the town, acting to address anything that may compromise the welcome and vitality of the town centre. The Ambassadors are SIA licenced, CSAS trained and accredited and have been recognised by Kent Police with a Quality-of-Service award

• Ongoing Night-time Economy meetings cohosted with Kent Police, an opportunity for local

night-time economy businesses to discuss and share issues, and to open a direct dialogue with colleagues and partner agencies including the Licensing department

• The pilot of the first town centre wide Emergency Trauma Pack scheme, equipping first responders with the necessary kit to tackle serious traumatic injury. The scheme was subsequently adopted by the Police Crime Commissioner’s office and rolled out County wide

• The Knife Angel sculpture was brought to Maidstone in September 2022 to confront the issues and perceptions of knife crime; this was accompanied by educational workshops for children in the community in partnership with the Hazlitt Theatre

• Regular deep cleans of the town centre, providing a level of detail over and above that brought by the existing day to day Council operations

• Town centre planters have been brought to the town centre both Summer and Winter

• The Domestic Abuse Guardians training programme in 2021, teaching business about signs of domestic violence and how to safely sign post. Participants completing the course became a ‘DA Guardian’ making their business a safe space for their staff and customers

ACHIEVEMENTS FROM THE PAST 5 YEARS - 2018-2023

PROMOTE

ACHIEVEMENTS FROM THE PAST 5 YEARS - 2018-2023

Following the delivery of the proposed management works, with the safer, cleaner and brighter town centre to shout about, One Maidstone BID planned to deliver sustained campaigns aimed at changing perceptions of Maidstone and its role as the County Town.

The Proposed Projects Included:

• Events and promotions

• Marketing promotions and social media

• Christmas lights

WE DELIVERED:

• The Christmas Lights scheme and the associated switch on since 2019

• Marketing promotion for businesses and events in town. Online, on social media and through our magazine

• Our magazine has a quarterly distribution of 15,000 homes and businesses in Maidstone, available at key pick up points in town centre and a digital version on website and socials

• Our social media reach currently has a following of 7384 followers and our Facebook and Instagram achieved a reach of 119,377 accounts in 2022

• Regular Maidstone Marketing Meetings, roughly every 6 weeks. These meetings are an opportunity for businesses in town to share, network and find opportunities to collaborate

• A range of Halloween themed characters to greet children and the public around town, in conjunction with local business Corporate Entertainment Professionals Agency (CEP) in October 2022

• Facilitated Halloween Walking Scavenger Hunts around Maidstone - ‘Take It to the Grave’ and ‘Stage Managers Secret, in conjunction with local business Hazlitt Theatre in October 2022

• A Dinosaur Egg Easter Trail in conjunction with Maidstone Borough Council and multiple businesses across town in April 2022

• A range of Dinosaur themed characters ‘Meet the Dinosaurs’ to greet children and the public around town in April 2022

• Provided 2 days Social Media Training to businesses across town hosted by local business Onward Socials in May 2022

• Marketing promotion for businesses and events in town, in conjunction with local business Onward Socials

• A range of Jubilee themed characters to greet children and the public around town, in conjunction with local business CEP Agency in 2022

• Organised multiple competitions, highlighting and increasing awareness of businesses in town - Halloween Giveaway, Christmas Hamper, Valentines Date Night and more

• Facilitated ‘Not a Phase’ during June 2022

LGBTQ+ Pride month, in conjunction with local business Hazlitt Theatre

• Created, funded, installed, and promoted The Maidstory Big Book Hunt trail in conjunction with multiple businesses across town in August 2022 which included

Maidstory character readings in conjunction with local business CEP Agency and the Hazlitt Theatre in August 2022

• Created, funded, installed, and promoted The Magic of Christmas Trail in conjunction with Maidstone Borough Council and multiple businesses across town in NovemberDecember 2022

• Regular networking meetings for businesses within Maidstone town centre 2023

• Discounted travel with Arriva for BID levy businesses and their staff

• Light Up Maidstone Parade, February 2023,we worked closely with Cohesion

Plus to deliver a community parade, running workshops with 9 schools, 600 students to made lanterns for the parade that took place on Friday 3rd February 2023. We worked with key partners MBC, KCC, and Mid Kent Mind to help make the event a success. Businesses reported a 30% increase in business on the day of the event

DISCOVER

ACHIEVEMENTS FROM THE PAST 5 YEARS - 2018-2023

With people using the town centre more frequently and for longer, the ‘Promote’ stream was introduced to supplement with campaigns to encourage discovery of the wider town centre targeted primarily at those who will travel further and stay longer, preferably overnight.

The Proposed Projects Included:

• Visitor promotions

• Strength of offer (history, range of hospitality etc)

• Promoting uniqueness

WE DELIVERED:

• We were the Events Partner for the Elmer Wild in Art Trail around Maidstone in 2021

• The Wine Weekend event in Sessions House, increasing footfall in town and putting Maidstone on the map

• Organised and hosted the first Maidfest in July 2022 - bringing many businesses across town together to provide an offer driven retail festival throughout our town centre and based on the success of 2022 returns in 2023 from April to May and now incorporates Maidstone Cocktail Week and supports the Fringe Festival

• Facilitated the Magic of Christmas Parade, in conjunction with Maidstone Borough Council and local business CEP Agency in November 2022

• Supported the Scarecrow Festival, created by Maidstone Borough Council

• Radio adverts and segment sponsorships on KMFM and Global, which promote Maidstone as a hub of retail, hospitality, and events

• Our event campaigns have included transport advertising in conjunction with Southeastern Railway and Arriva Buses

• Through One Maidstone’s involvement with the Town Centre Task Force, we have worked with Maidstone Borough Council and Kent County Council to bring a youth hub to the very centre of the town which opened on 24th February 2023. The 326 Hub is in The Mall Maidstone and has had a successful start to help entertain and support

One Maidstone New BID BOUNDARY

List of streets to be included in the new BID Boundary:

Bank Street

Barker Road

Brewer Street

The Mall including Dukes Walk, Edgar Place and Water Lane

Church Street

County Road

Earl Street

Fairmeadow

Fremlin Walk

Gabriel’s Hill

High Street

King Street

Knightrider Street

Lower Stone Street

Market Buildings

Medway Street

Middle Row Mill Street Pads Hill

Palace Avenue

Pudding Lane

Rose Yard

Romney Place

Sandling Road

Sessions House Square

St Faith’s Street

Stacey’s Street

Station Road

The Broadway

Union Street

Week Street

Wyke Manor Road

BUSINESS CONSULTATION

Meetings with major levy contributors

Survey

Town centre surveying of businesses across various dates and locations including at time of writing (24 Feb 2023):

2023

Networking Meetings hosted by the team at One Maidstone

Consultation

workshops

Press, Microsite, Website, Print, Emails and Social Media

From January to April 2023 , we delivered various forms of communications using social media, website, emails, all to provide either invitations to events, updates from BID or promotion of existing projects and services.

January – June 2023: Campaign to help raise awareness of the projects and services currently being delivered and the ballot for a new term.

20th April – Press Launch for Full Business Plan

A microsite has been created to host the BID Term 1 review document and all other materials relating to the new ballot including the business plan. This will be shared with all levy businesses and partners.

MAINTAIN

A key priority for Maidstone is to make the town a safe and welcoming environment for those who live, work and visit.

With these objectives One Maidstone proposes to provide:

• Seven day per week Street Ambassador patrols

• Proactive 24-hour CCTV monitoring of Borough Council town centre cameras

• The Business Crime Reduction Partnership, including radio network and secure website with no membership costs for BID members

• Deep and detailed cleans in the town centre

• A responsive cleaning service for spills, graffiti etc

• A planting scheme

• The Best Bar None accreditation scheme for licensed venues (including awards ceremony)

• Safer Streets projects including free training courses in areas including First Aid, Active Bystander and Self-defence

• Support for voluntary groups such as Urban Blue Bus and Street Pastors

“One Maidstone have been an incredibly positive influence across the town. From the vibrant events, to the reassuring presence of the ambassadors, they have been such a huge source of support for us and other businesses.

Always encouraging a spirit of collaboration and support for businesses at a time when we all need to pull together, One Maidstone couldn’t be a more relevant and necessary team to help grow businesses across the town.”

Andrew Dicker, Managing Director | Founder, Geo Brand

MARKETING & PROMOTIONS

Through marketing and promotions, One Maidstone seeks to provoke excitement and interest for the County Town.

To encourage visitors to shop, dine, experience events, art and culture, discover new hidden gems that the town has to offer and to celebrate and explore its heritage.

With these objectives in mind One Maidstone proposes to provide:

• Enhancement to the established One Maidstone website, making it a good resource for sign posting to town centre events and activities as well as a hub for business support

• A seasonal magazine distributed into the ME15 postcode area, key pick up points in town centre and online digital version on website and socials, free content for levy payers

• Free social media content for levy payers including Insta reels

• Targeted advertising promoting the town centre offer to an audience who may be yet to discover it

• An investigation into the cost and feasibility of a third-party app to introduce a digital high street, place finding tool, which has the capability to host offers, promotions etc. Looking to work collaboratively with this project to aid funding and implementation, explore funding opportunities

• Campaigns: Make a Memory in Maidstone / Love Maidstone / We Are Maidstone/ Treats on the Highstreet/ Maidfest / Free Family Fun / Maidstory

“I have had the privilege of working with One Maidstone on a variety of events in the town centre, and I’m always impressed with their enthusiasm, commitment and sheer determination to help us deliver on our ambitious plans. Their support with our first ever Scarecrow Festival last year was invaluable and it’s fair to say we would not have been able to deliver such a fabulous event without their assistance.

One Maidstone are usually involved in some way with all the events we run in the town centre, whether it’s behind the scenes helping with the marketing and promotion, or being out on the street with their ambassadors helping to keep everyone safe while they’re having a good time.

One Maidstone help us engage with businesses in a more meaningful way to ensure that all the community benefits from the events we put on.

The town centre is certainly a more vibrant place because of the work we’ve been able to do together, and I hope it will continue for many more years to come as there is still more to do!”

Ann-Marie Langley, Arts & Culture Officer, Maidstone Borough Council

SIGNATURE EVENTS

One of the main focuses for One Maidstone is to improve the experience and appeal of the town centre. One of the ways that we seek to do this and support our local businesses and economy, is by bringing free events into the town.

We are committed to bringing Maidstone, the County Town, to life working collaboratively with our town centre partners and local businesses to organise events for all ages and interests and help increase footfall into Maidstone town centre.

With these objectives in mind One Maidstone proposes to provide:

• An annual Christmas Lights Switch on event

• Maidfest an offer driven celebration of all town centre businesses

• Support for the annual Maidstone Fringe Festival

• Partnership with The Heart of Kent Hospice on the Wild In Art Shaun the Sheep sculpture trail in 2024

• An annual Light Up Maidstone lantern parade

• Family activities such as trails at key calendar dates e.g., Easter, Halloween

• A celebration of locally produced goods e.g., wine, produce, to recognise the agricultural heritage of the County

• An exploration of funding stream opportunities to help expand, complement, or introduce events from Arts Council England, Government and Local Authority

“Over the last four or five years, the One Maidstone BID team helped Maidstone prosper at a time when town centres and people’s shopping habits were changing. The BID team has delivered with the presence of ambassador and CCTV monitoring, making our town centre safer. They have carried out deep cleanings of the town centre, keeping it presentable to our community and shoppers. In addition to delivering all this, they have actively promoted the town centre, delivered a variety of marketing campaigns, and held some events that have increased footfall and attracted families into the town centre.

The BID has delivered a safe, clean, and secure environment for our community, businesses, and shoppers.

I have every confidence that the BID will do all it can to continue this sterling work and ensure that the town centre remains at the heart of our community.”

Lloyd Wright, General Manager, Fremlin Walk

LEVY RULES, GOVERNANCE, AND BUDGET

In developing the rules that will apply to the BID, consideration has been given to The Business Plan Criteria for BIDs (2022) published on behalf of levy payers by British BIDs.

The Ballot

1. Maidstone Borough Council will send those responsible for properties to be subject to the BID a ballot paper on or around 30 May 2023.

2. Each property or hereditament subject to the BID will be entitled to one vote in respect of the BID Proposal in a 28-day postal ballot, which will commence on 2 June 2023 and conclude on 29 June 2023.

3. Ballot papers received after 5pm on 29 June 2023 will not be counted.

4. The declaration of the ballot result is due to be announced on 30 June 2023.

5. In order for the proposal to be successful at ballot the result will need to meet, as a minimum, two independent criteria which are: a) of those ballots returned by the close, those voting in favour of the proposal must exceed those voting against it; and b) of those ballot papers returned by the close, the total rateable value of those properties or hereditaments which vote in favour, must exceed the total of those voting against.

6. If successful at ballot, the BID will commence delivery of services on 1st October 2023, and will continue for a period of five years to 30 September 2028.

The Levy

1. The BID levy will apply to all persons or organisations liable to pay the non-domestic rates for eligible hereditaments located within the BID area.

2. The levy rate to be paid by each property of hereditament is to be calculated as 1.8% of its rateable value as at the ‘chargeable day’ (1 October each year).

3. All properties or hereditaments with a rateable value of £15,000 or more will pay a levy.

4. The number of properties or hereditaments liable for the levy is approximately 529.

5. From the second year of the BID term the levy rate may be inflated by the prevailing Consumer Price Index as of 30 June in that year. For the purposes of budgeting a rate of 3% per annum has been assumed from year two to the end of the term.

6. The levy will be charged annually in advance for each

chargeable period from October to September each year, starting in 2023. No refunds will be made.

7. The maximum amount payable for any one hereditament is to be capped at £12000 and may be inflated by the prevailing Consumer Price Index as of 30 June in that year.

8. The ratepayer for any untenanted properties or hereditaments will be liable for payment of the levy, meaning the landlord (or their representative) in most instances.

9. The BID levy must be paid by any new ratepayer occupying an existing eligible non-domestic rateable property within the BID area on the chargeable day up until the end of the five year term, even if they did not vote in the ballot. Any new eligible rateable business hereditament created during the lifetime of the BID and situated in the BID area will be obliged to pay the levy on the next chargeable day. Any business whose rateable value changes due to alterations will be charged at the new rate on the next chargeable day.

10. Occupiers within The Mall, Fremlin Walk, The Royal Star Arcade, and Lockmeadow Entertainment centres that are subject to a service charge will pay 1.3% of their rateable value.

11. Charitable organisations that are subject to relief on their business rates liability may apply to the BID Board for a reduction and will be considered on case by case basis.

12. Maidstone Borough Council will be responsible for the collection of the levy. The collection charge to the BID will be £17,000 per annum

Governance

1. The BID Proposer is Maidstone Business Improvement District Limited t/a One Maidstone, the established BID company. The BID will be operated by Maidstone Business Improvement District Limited t/a One Maidstone (Company number 11166750) a not-forprofit organisation, limited by guarantee.

2. The Directors of the Board shall continue to be primarily made up of representatives of levy paying businesses and, where necessary, will include non-levy paying representatives where additional expertise is required. The Board will have responsibility for governance matters such as financial arrangements, contractual obligations, human resources, standards, performance, and compliance.

3. Directors of the Board are appointed by invitation and are selected based on suitability relating to sector representation, diversity and approved by the board.

4. Maidstone Borough Council, Kent County Council and Kent Police shall maintain representation on the Board, as agreed, in a non-voting capacity.

5. The Board shall meet no less than quarterly and shall appoint a Chair annually.

6. The Board shall form such sub-groups that from time to time become necessary.

7. Provided that the BID is meeting its overall objectives, the Board shall have the ability to vary service delivery and expenditure allocation according to the changing demands of the levy payers. However, any change to the BID boundary or to the levy rate proposals, such that they impact negatively upon any levy payer, would require a formal Alteration Ballot.

8. The Company shall meet with the Council, as the Billing Authority, quarterly to monitor service delivery, levy collection and financial management issues.

9. Directors representing levy paying businesses will also be Members of the BID Company.

10. The BID will file annual accounts with Companies House. The accounts will be available to all levy payers. An annual general report on activities, including finances, will be published. A financial statement will be distributed to businesses along with the BID levy invoice annually.

11. An Annual Meeting for Members and levy payers will be held.

12. The project delivery and functioning of the BID will be monitored by the Board of Directors and also by the Advisory Group. A wider BID Advisory Group acts as a scrutiny group and will meet no less than annually. Its members make up a cross section of sectors represented within the BID boundary; participants are invited to join based on their involvement with certain sectors or for their specific areas of expertise.

13. Levy payers will be kept apprised of the progress of BID projects via regular and ad-hoc email news updates and seasonal publications. An annual survey will also be conducted to monitor the opinion of the levy payers.

14. An Operating Agreement, which includes the Council’s Baseline service commitments, has been agreed with

Maidstone Borough Council. A copy can be found at One Maidstone.com

15. Notification of the intention to hold a ballot was sent to the Secretary of State on 16 January 2023.

Finance

1. A cautious approach has been adopted to budgeting for the BID term.

2. A levy collection rate of 95% has been assumed.

3. The average annual levy available to be spent by the BID for the term is approximately £533,239.

4. If the BID generates a surplus, it will be carried forward for project delivery with some being used as a contingency provision.

5. Carry forward of reserves from the first term reflect Covid restricting some activities that will be carried into the next term for frontline project delivery. The carry forward figure also incorporates additional funding secured late in the first term for Safer Streets and town centre events activities alongside mitigation cost for closure that in the instance of a successful ballot will also be carried forward.

6. Included within the budget is additional income, primarily evidenced by the historic performance of the One Maidstone Business Crime Reduction Partnership with on-going membership fees being applicable to non-levy paying members of the partnership. This is equivalent to approximately 9% of the estimated levy to be collected but cannot be guaranteed.

7. Any other business wishing to become an Associate Member of One Maidstone BID can do so in addition to the Crime Reduction Partnership.

8. Operating costs of the BID are estimated at approximately 20% of total expenditure.

SUPPORTING THE BID

The Business Improvement District has a Board of Directors that are also Members of the Company. The Board is made up of a cross section of levy payers and those who can provide expertise in certain areas.

Ulric Allsebrook, Frederic’s Bistro Chair

Ian Weekes, Crowe Clark Whitehall Accountants Financial Director

Gavin Cockayne, GM The Mall Director

Lloyd Wright, GM Fremlin Walk Director

Blair Gulland, Retired Solicitor Director

Ali El Hajj, Franchisee McDonalds Maidstone Director

Keith Elliott, HSBC Bank Director

Ilsa Franklin, BID Operations Manager One Maidstone Director

Michelle Woodland, CEO One Maidstone Director

One Maidstone also has an Advisory Group where a wider representation of businesses and partner agencies are invited to actively engage with updates on the work of the BID and to steer its project delivery in an advisory capacity.

The Advisory Group comprises representation from:

Kent County Council – members and officers

Maidstone Borough Council – member and officer Non levy paying business

Voluntary sector

Cultural secto r

HOW THE BALLOT WILL WORK

How will the ballot work?

All potential levy payers within the boundary will be entitled to a vote. A 28 day postal ballot will be held from 2 June to 29 June 2023. You will receive a ballot paper in the post for each hereditament you are responsible for, to be completed and posted back.

Can I nominate someone to vote on my behalf?

Yes. You can nominate a proxy for your vote who you are happy to be responsible for voting on behalf of your business/property.

What happens if I lose my ballot paper? A replacement ballot paper can be organised for you if the local authority is notified in time to meet the deadline of the close of the ballot.

Please see the useful dates below for when you can expect key items of correspondence.

Notice of Ballot: will be posted from 17 May This document will give you notice that the ballot is pending.

Ballot packs: will be posted from 30 May This will include your voting paper.

Proxy nominations: can be made up until 19 June

Replacement for lost ballot papers will be issued from 23rd June.

The ballot will close at 5pm on 29 June

The ballot count and declaration of result will be made on 30 June