Economic vibrancy at the heart of BID – Council partnership
Members of The Highland Council’s City of Inverness Area Committee have endorsed the excellent work of the Inverness City Centre Business Improvement District (BID) and welcomed the ongoing development of partnership working between BID and the Council.
Inverness BID Chairman, Peter Strachan presented the BID’s Annual Report to Councillors at the Inverness Town House today (22 November 2018).
Provost and Leader of Inverness and Area Cllr Helen Carmichael said: “While the highly effective working relationship between Inverness BID and the Council has developed over many years, as a Member of the Inverness BID Board I can say that during this past bumper tourism season the remit of the BID team projects has never before been so fully effective and greatly appreciated.
“The role of BID working in partnership with the Council continues to provide added value to the economic vibrancy of Inverness city centre through a number of joint projects - the results of which are highly visible for all to see.”
Building on the success of Inverness being granted “Coach Friendly Status” in 2016 by the Confederation of Passenger Transport; this year’s Coach Ambassador Project delivered by Inverness BID at Ardross Street with part-Inverness Common Good Funding attracted 119,000 coach passengers to the city centre.
Welcoming these coach visitors and others to Inverness were some 770 floral displays decorating the city centre. These displays, while providing attractive colour to the city centre are hugely popular with tourists for photographs and selfie backdrops.
Tackling city centre gull issues has been an ongoing commitment of Inverness BID and The Highland Council. A gull management project run by Inverness BID has over the past 7 years, removed almost 11,500 eggs from city centre and nearby nests preventing an estimated 600 additional gulls from fledging.
Members noted the work by the BID to market the city centre as a welcoming place; the BID’s continued participation in the Inverness Community Safety Partnership; BID’s significant contribution in helping to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour by providing a Security Team and Taxi Marshall service in the city centre; and the ongoing role of BID Ambassadors helping to monitor amenity issues that can then be dealt with by the Council and the Police.
Provost Carmichael added: “Inverness BID represents over 850 city centre businesses with an income levy of around £205,000 in this financial year 2018/19. This levy has been invested in joint schemes with Inverness Common Good Funding of £100,650. Without this shared approached many of these projects would not have been possible by the local authority alone. We welcome Inverness BID’s continued partnership working.”
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