Businesses in Bury St Edmunds are being given the chance to vote on whether the Business Improvement District (BID) should continue to run for the next five years. 

Our Bury St Edmunds BID, which provides support to town centre businesses, has been elected in a ballot of member businesses at five year intervals since 2010, when it was first established. 

This week more than 400 businesses will be notified that they will soon receive their ballot forms. 

They will then vote either yes or no and, if elected, the BID will remain in place until 2030.

Chief Executive of Our Bury St Edmunds BID Mark Cordell said: “We know that times have been tough recently for businesses and their customers and that is why we are committed to giving the best possible value for money as a BID service for them if the vote is successful.

"Part of our role is to source additional external funding for the town centre to benefit our member businesses and since 2020 we have generated around £400,000.

“Around half the businesses covered by the BID’s area are independents and more than 100 of those businesses will be paying £1 a day or less for their BID membership."

Member businesses will continue to be eligible for numerous free training courses for their staff which include first aid, fire safety, food hygiene and digital marketing. 

The BID's delivery of town events including the Food & Drink Festival and Christmas Lights event will also continue, along with the marketing of the town to both local people and visitors nationally.

Businesses will pay a levy based on their rateable value, which this time increases by 0.15%. This is the lowest amount it has ever increased by.

Mr Cordell said: “A number of businesses will have lower rateable values now since the last evaluation, which means the amount they will pay to the BID in the next five year term will be less than they have paid for this one.”

The ballot will open on June 7 and run until July 4.