NEW faces have been placed at the helm of Tavistock Business Improvement District (BID) to continue the work of the organisation.

A new chairman has been appointed and five new members have been voted on to the board of directors along with two existing directors who were voted back on.

A BID precisely defines a geographical area in which the majority of business ratepayers have voted for paying a small, additional levy on the business rates to help fund a five-year programme of events, projects and additional services which they have chosen to improve their trading environment. It is operated by not-for-profit partnership organisations. They are business led, with all businesses in the area having a voice in how the BID delivers its package of initiatives and the way the town centre will move forward in the future.

Robin Rich from I Love Candy has been voted as the new chairman and the new directors are Ruth Kelly, manager of Boots, Giles Newby, from Abode, Andrew Baker, from Potter Baker, Cllr Harry Smith, from Tavistock Town Council and Penny Samuels, from Brocante of Devon. Existing members that have been voted back on are Nigel Eadie of the Original Pasty House and Mandy Ewings from the Original Barber Shop.

Mr Rich said he hoped to be able to help grow and improve the town in his new position as chairman: ‘I haven’t been in the BID from the very beginning but I came on not long after it started and have always been a massive fan. I want to help make the town better than it is now, but I’m not unrealistic. I know the town is in a bit of a dip, as are other towns in the country, and that is down to many things such as rents, the internet and footfall. Every town goes through a dip — we have a number of shops empty, Kountry Kit has just closed after 30 years which is a great shame and we also lost the Ordulph Arms this year, which was like a Tavistock landmark.

‘It’s now all about working with every single organisation in the town as we’re all after the same thing. Hopefully we can build the footfall and stay healthy. Our mission is to make sure we all work together and we all talk and come up with ideas that we can use to fit Tavistock and build the town to greater heights.’

Newly appointed director Cllr Harry Smith said: ‘My role on BID is as a conduit of matters involving Tavistock Town Council and the organisation. As one of the largest levy payers, the town council has a key role to play in enhancing partnership working and further demonstrating the positive effects of bringing together public and private organisations in the interest of the business community.

‘A lot of what the town council can achieve, for the town, is supported by income from our market. We, like so many businesses in the town, appreciate that these are challenging times and by working with BID, hope to improve and build on the success of the driver incentive scheme which is helping to bring visitors into our town.

‘Over the time it has existed BID and Tavistock Town Council have worked jointly on various projects. My hope would be that going forward we can build and expand on partnership working and the successful events like Dickensian Evening and Britain in Bloom.’

After finishing the first five-year term this year, Tavistock BID was voted in to serve a second term of five years in July.