An introduction from your Newbury BID Chair
As we come to the end of Newbury BID’s third term, this new business plan is a chance for us to reflect on all of the fantastic work Newbury BID has delivered over the last 5 years, and to look ahead to the new term where the current BID team will continue to improve on the great work the organisation has achieved for Newbury.
From some of the town’s biggest-ever events, including the annual Christmas Lights Switch On weekends and Newbury’s very first Soapbox Derby, to many more popular events like the Artisan Market, Antique & Vintage market and the Italian Auto Moto Festival, Newbury BID has certainly delivered on its remit of encouraging people into the town centre.
Within the last year Newbury BID has also brought in the BID Ambassador scheme to help deter retail crime and anti-social behaviour. This has been so positively received by the local business community. In a new term we are looking to expand this cover to 7 days a week, to further support local businesses. It is hard to imagine our town continuing to thrive as it does without Newbury BID acting as the voice for local businesses, and promoting the town through its Visit Newbury brand. As a local business owner myself, it has been a real pleasure to be involved with Newbury BID team, currently acting as Chair of the Board of Directors.
Over the next few pages, we lay out our plans for the next 5 years, so please do take time to read though this Business Plan in detail.
I hope your business also sees the benefit of supporting Newbury BID into a new term.
Quick links
If you receive an annual BID levy bill, your business is located within Newbury’s Business Improvement District (BID). Every five years, BIDs must hold a ballot to give levy payers the opportunity to vote to collectively invest in improvements to their local trading area.
This ballot is your opportunity to say YES to contributing to over £1.6m of ring-fenced business investment in Newbury town centre over the next five years.
On this page you can find our 2027-2032 Business Plan and information on the ballot process, alongside more details that may be helpful using the quick links below:
Our vision for
2027-2032
Steeped in history and surrounded by some of the UK’s most outstandingly beautiful countryside, Newbury is a modern market town offering a vibrant yet relaxing atmosphere in which to enjoy its array of independent and national shops and restaurants, charter and specialist markets, and first-class arts and cultural experiences.
To build on the town’s growing reputation and profile, our long-term vision is:
“Championing a truly exceptional market town that continues to deliver above and beyond for businesses, locals and visitors.”
To deliver this vision, we are delighted to share our 2027-2032 Business Plan, which lays out the projects we plan to deliver over the next 5 years.
This Business Plan has been developed by way of consultation with local businesses through a variety of methods, ensuring levy payers have had the opportunity to have their views heard. We have carefully considered your feedback to develop a plan that meets the needs of the business community as a whole.
Our 2027-2032 Business Plan lays out the projects we plan to deliver over the next 5 years, and would secure investment of over £1.6 million, all of which will directly impact and benefit Newbury town centre. These projects fall into three core pillars which will represent Newbury BID’s priorities in the new term:
£727,500 planned investment over 5 years
- Promoting Newbury as a ‘must-visit’ tourist destination
- Organising free-to-attend community events and trails
- Working to keep our town centre vibrant and beautiful
- Running Visit Newbury and supporting Visit Berkshire
£350,000 planned investment over 5 years
- BID Ambassadors for the town centre
- Pubwatch and Shopwatch schemes
- DISC information-sharing
- Town centre radios and CCTV systems
£155,000 planned investment over 5 years
- The voice for Newbury’s business community
- Stakeholder engagement and important local updates
- Free training and support for businesses
- Guidance and best practice to facilitate unique events
Our 2027-2032 Business Plan
Below, you can find our 2027-2032 Business Plan, which outlines our aims and ambitions for the next 5 years:
You can also click here to read the Business Plan in full.
Testimonials
What is a Business Improvement District?
A Business Improvement District (BID) is a defined geographical area where businesses have voted to invest in local improvements to enhance their trading environment. BIDs are run by dedicated teams and governed by a Board of Directors, often with representatives from each business sector, the local authority, and the local police.
A levy is set and all businesses within the BID are bound to pay it for a maximum of 5 years before a ballot must take place. The levy is collected by the Local Authority and the income is used to fund the work of the Business Improvement District.
Levy funds are ring-fenced and are used to deliver a defined set of projects and services voted on as part of the ballot process. They are designed to add value to businesses, improve the appeal of the local area, and help attract further business investment.
BID projects cannot and do not replace services provided by the public sector, including the local authority and the police. No BID levy funds will ever be spent on services that these agencies must deliver in accordance with their statutory requirements.
What is a BID ballot?
BIDs run for 5 years, and Newbury BID is in the final year of its current term, which ends on 31st May 2027. Every five years, BIDs must hold a ballot to give levy payers the opportunity on whether to vote in the BID for a new 5 year term. Our Business Plan lays out our aims and ambitions for Newbury BID from June 2027 – May 2032.
The ballot will take place as a 4-week postal vote, running from 11th September 2026 to 8th October 2026. You can find the full ballot timeline below.
Every business which pays the BID levy gets to vote, with one vote for each individual hereditament that has a rateable value over £4,999 per year.
For a ballot to be successful:
- The total number of votes in favour must be higher than the total number of votes against.
- The total ratable value of those that vote in favour must represent a greater rateable value than those that vote against.
If the ballot is successful, Newbury BID will start a new 5 year term in June 2027, operating to the Business Plan and securing over £1.6m of investment over 5 years which will directly benefit Newbury town centre. The levy will be mandatory for all businesses within the BID area (apart from those that are exempt).
If the ballot is unsuccessful, Newbury BID and the Visit Newbury brand will cease to exist on 31st May 2027. There will no longer be any organisation marketing Newbury town centre as a visitor destination, arranging Newbury town centre’s Christmas lighting, tree and Switch On events, offering businesses support against retail crime and anti-social behaviour through the BID Ambassador scheme, or giving the business community a collective voice with local government.
Reasons why you should vote YES
Your YES vote guarantees an investment of over £1.6 million across the next 5 years, all of which will directly impact and benefit Newbury town centre.
Newbury town centre has been supported by a BID since 2012. Newbury BID is a not-for-profit Community Interest Company which delivers many projects that help enhance the economic viability of Newbury town centre. Below you can find an example of projects we have delivered over the last five years:
You can more examples of these projects in the full Business Plan. We also aim to deliver these key new projects in the new BID term:
- Increase BID Ambassador cover to 7 days a week
- Continue to run large scale, free-to-attend events and activations, and re-introduce smaller trails to support footfall into businesses
- Targeted marketing campaigns to reach new visitors and international tourists, leveraging Newbury’s cultural history, vibrant town centre and impressive calendar of free community events
- Start up a new Shopwatch scheme
- Organise more frequent town centre Comminity Clean-Up events
Without your YES vote, these projects would either reduce dramatically in scope or be at risk of being lost altogether.
Ballot Timeline
From 11th September to 8th October 2026, all eligible businesses will be asked to cast their vote in a formal BID ballot. The ballot will be conducted through an independent, confidential postal vote conducted by the Returning Officer at West Berkshire Council, which is the responsible body as determined by the BID legislation.
All eligible ratepayers within the defined BID area will be entitled to one vote per business premise, provided they are listed on the National Non-Domestic Ratings List as provided by West Berkshire Council. Some businesses in Newbury occupy more than one business premise within the BID, and therefore will have more than one vote and receive more than one ballot paper.
It will be possible to appoint a proxy to vote on your behalf. Proxy applications will need to be made to West Berkshire Council by 5pm on 28th September 2026.
How will these projects be funded?
Every business within the BID area with a rateable value of £5,000 or more will be liable to pay the BID levy, which is calculated as a percentage of your premises’ rateable value. If you are unsure whether your business is included and will pay the levy, please contact us via the details at the bottom of this page.
The BID levy will be fixed at 2% for the 5-year 2027-2032 BID Term.
The levy is collected annually by West Berkshire Council on behalf of the BID company. This income is then ring-fenced and used to fund the projects outlined in the Business Plan. You can find our full 2027-2032 budget below in the documents section.
The table below shows examples of how much you will pay based on the rateable value of your business as shown in the Rating List on 1st June for that Financial Year.
Important Documents
Term 4 Proposal 2027-2032
View our full BID Proposal to gain a detailed understanding of our plans.
BID Area Map
See a full map of the BID Area, which remains unchanged for 2027-2032, in this document.
2027-2032 Budget
Our Business Plan includes a full operating budget for the 2027-2032 period.
Get in touch
If you would like to arrange a meeting or a call with the Newbury BID team to discuss the Term 4 Business Plan in more detail, please do get in touch. If you are short on time, you can find some answers to the most common questions in the FAQ below.
You can reach the office on 01635 885055, or email the team on info@newburybid.com.
Richard Farley
BID Manager
Ben Beardmore-Gray
Marketing Manager
FAQs
If you’re still unsure what the BID ballot means for you and/or your business, but you don’t have time to get in touch, the below list of frequently asked questions may help to answer some of your queries:
All BID terms across the UK last for a maximum of five years. Once that term is over, the BID is legally required to review its projects and produce a new Business Plan, stating its objectives for the next term. This plan must then be voted on by the businesses that will be required to pay the levy.
The BID area covers the main commercial districts in Newbury town centre, running from Bartholomew Street at the south side of Newbury, encompassing all of Northbrook Street and Market Place, and up to the town centre’s northern border with Western Avenue. You can find the full map and list of streets in the important documents section.
A BID cannot and will not replace or substitute statutory services provided by local authorities. West Berkshire Council and Newbury BID will agree baseline statements as part of the BID renewal for the Council’s statutory and discretionary services. These will be available to view on the Visit Newbury website at visitnewbury.org.uk/about. The BID can choose to enhance and add to these services using BID levy income. However, most projects and initiatives delivered by Newbury BID are entirely new schemes that would cease to continue without the BID and the BID levy income.
The current term of the BID is due to end on 31st May 2027. The new term will then start from 1st June 2027. If the ballot is unsuccessful, all BID projects and services will cease immediately on 31st May 2027.
For the ballot to be successful the following criteria must be satisfied:
- The total number of votes in favour must be higher than the total number of votes against, and
- The total ratable value of those that vote in favour must represent a greater rateable value than those that vote against.
The current BID term is due to end on 31st May 2027. If the ballot is unsuccessful, Newbury BID and the Visit Newbury brand will cease to exist on 31st May 2027. There will no longer be any organisation marketing Newbury town centre as a visitor destination, arranging Newbury’s Christmas lights and Switch On events, or giving the business community a collective voice with local government.
If your postal vote isn't received by the 5pm deadline on Thursday 8th October, your vote will not be counted and you will have no say in the future of Newbury BID.
If your business falls within the defined geographical area of the BID, you are legally obliged to pay your BID levy and you are unable to opt out during the 5-year BID term.
Every business within the BID area with a rateable value of £5,000 or more will be liable to pay the BID levy, which is calculated as a percentage of your premises’ rateable value. If you are unsure whether your business is included and will pay the levy, please contact us and we will be happy to assist. The BID levy will be fixed at 2% for the 5-year 2027-2032 BID Term. The levy is collected annually by West Berkshire Council on behalf of the BID company. This income is then ring-fenced and used to fund the projects outlined in our Business Plan.
While we very much hope your business does not cease trading during any BID term, we understand that sometimes it is natural for a business to move on. If this is the case, your levy bill will already be paid for the remainder of the BID financial year (1st June - 31st May) and the new occupier of the unit (or the landlord if it remains vacant) will be subject to future levy payments from the following 1st June. No mid-year refunds will be given.
Yes, any business that is exempt from paying the BID levy or isn't located in the BID area can contribute voluntarily. If you join the BID in this way, you will receive the same benefits as other BID levy payers but would not be eligble to vote. To discuss voluntary contributions with the BID Team, please contact us.
