LEAVE or remain? Europe isn’t the only vote in town. Tavistock shops and businesses this week begin deciding whether the town’s Business Improvement District (BID)?should carry on.

Traders will be deciding whether the £70,000 a year project to market the town and improve its environment should work for a further five years.

Business plans were due to be issued today (June 16) to all businesses within the BID area, which stretches from Plymouth Road in the west to Parkwood Road in the east, Kilworthy Hill to the north and the River Tavy in the south.

BID began in 2011 after more than 75% of businesses voted in favour of the scheme.

Every business within the district has to contribute a percentage of its rateable value —subscriptions therefore vary, but together more than 280 businesses generate an annual budget of just under £70,000

Tony Whitehead, BID chairman, urged members to look at the positive impact BID has had in the past five years and vote ‘yes’.

He said: ‘I dread to think how traders would have fared over the past five years without the BID.

‘The board is proud to say that all major projects in the business plan have been delivered, together with items not intended to be fully funded such as Dickensian Evening and ensuring the Christmas lights continued in an enhanced form to include those in areas which have never had lights.

‘I hope businesses will look at the impact the BID has had and will be able to see what will be lost if they don’t vote yes to another term.’

As well as the Christmas lights, the BID board said it was proud to have worked with authorities to implement £2 all-day parking, create three new directional signs to help shops not on the high street, double the numbers at Dickensian Evening and enhance the event, secure one of the two UK launches for the Tour De Manche cycle route opening, increase footfall in the town, provide 172 hanging baskets and obtain a gold award within three years of entering Britain In Bloom.

BID manager Lisa Piper said: ‘The business community came along to sessions to put forward new ideas for the next five years and look at existing commitments of the BID, for example the Christmas lights, Britain in Bloom and our ongoing work to increase visiting coaches.

‘From this we sent out voting papers and businesses will choose the projects they want completed over the next five years if BID is successful in getting a reballot.

‘Business plans will be sent to all levy payers and they are given until 5pm on July 14 to vote.

‘We are a strong voice for the business community and lobby the councils on matters that affect the town. Have we always got it right? No. But we are constantly learning and working hard to keep Tavistock prosperous.

‘We have built strong relationships with the local authorities and groups within the town and feel we are ready for another term to do our best for the businesses of Tavistock Business Improvement District.’

Rosy Elesmore, of florists Odds and Buds, will be voting for the BID to continue: ‘I think it has worked well for the town through things like signage and the lights.’

But not everybody is convinced. Martin Hawkins, of Tavistock Gallery, said: ‘We haven’t had value for money from it. They have been unlucky with things that haven’t gone well for them but a lot of shops are saying we haven’t had good value and the last thing they want is to vote for an extra bill.’

Mr Hawkins said he was more in favour of some of the ideas generated by the Tavistock Imagined project, which, he said, had garnered some 150 comments on the change.org website.

What are your thoughts — do you think BID has been a success or not? Let us know at [email protected]