Tavistock traders have voted to renew their support for Tavistock BID for the fourth time running.

The organisation promotes the town centre to visitors and residents alike, being behind events like Dickensian Evening and the springtime Paint the Town.

The traders have now shown their support, as they voted overwhelmingly to back a fourth five-year term.

The exceptionally strong mandate from the business community saw a total of 131 businesses taking part in the ballot.

The turnout was 42 per cent, well above the national average.

Of those voters, 111 were in favour, representing an 85 per cent majority by number and 92 per cent by rateable value of business properties.

BIDs are funded by businesses and supported by government legislation giving town traders the chance to come together to fund collective promotional efforts.. There are now over 320 BIDs, of which (13 in Devon and Cornwall).

Tavistock BID promotional events include Dickensian Evening, Visit Tavistock marketing and PR campaigns, Christmas street lights and hanging baskets. Tavistock BID also campaigned successfully against to parking meters on the high street, which it argued, would deter short-stay shoppers and push them to other towns or out-of-town shopping.

Richard Clark, Tavistock BID chair, owner of the shop Leaf & Stone, said: "We are absolutely delighted that businesses have voted so strongly in favour of a fourth term for Tavistock BID. This result is a real vote of confidence in everything we've achieved together over the past 15 years and demonstrates that businesses continue to see the value of working collectively to support and strengthen our town.

“I'd like to thank every business that took part in the ballot and everyone who has contributed to the BID's success so far. Working alongside our partners, we've helped Tavistock remain a vibrant place to do business, shop, visit and invest.”

The vote gives the green light to BID’s new £107,000 annual five-year promotional plan covering marketing, events, the town’s environment and business support. Tavistock BID schemes have led to increased numbers of shoppers, higher spending on the high street and a cleaner, safer and more vibrant town.

Richard added: “We're excited to begin delivering the plan that Tavistock’s business community has developed - building on our successes while introducing new initiatives that will further enhance the town centre, support local businesses, attract more visitors and ensure Tavistock continues to thrive over the next five years."

The new five-year plan will be spent on projects and services in Tavistock as prioritised by the businesses. On top of this income from businesses, the BID team has already secured additional contributions from other organisations and have an excellent track record of attracting other funding to complement the levy income.

Tavistock BID is a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee set up in 2010. It is overseen by a board of directors who are businesspeople from the town and who in turn employ a part-time BID manager.

BID schemes are ‘business led for business benefit’ and unlike business rates, all the money collected remains in Tavistock to be spent on the priorities identified by businesses.