I bumped into Donna Higgins the other day, and she mentioned that businesses who were not happy with the Our Bury St Edmunds BID should contact you. As this is something that had not been considered before, I have added it to an article on my website, https://exploreburystedmunds.com/why-the-our-bury-st-edmunds-bid-is-corrupt
In the past, the West Suffolk Council has blindly used their hereditaments to vote YES, despite the fact that they are personally not the people who have to pay the BID tax.
I was asked by one of the Market Traders whether they could vote, I had to reply by saying well yes and no. The Market Traders come under the hereditament “Market Tolls” so yes, there is a vote there, BUT the traders have no say in how their money is being spent. They get no support from the Our Bury St Edmunds BID whatsoever, so why is this a YES vote?
Many people are also surprised that car parks and toilets provide yet more votes for the BID. But these are not businesses in the traditional sense of the word, and quite honestly, I am not aware when the toilets were ever promoted by the BID.
As a payer of the Council Tax, I strongly object to my money being given to a private company whose accounts and ways of working are not transparent. This year, with the latest prospectus, there is no clear definition of how they will spend the levy. There is nothing which accounts for the salaries which previously had been £120,000 – 27% of all the levy.
Having witnessed a court case at Triton House last year, seeing how the WSC and Mark Cordell were going after a business for the sake of £200, they would have even been comfortable to send the non-payer to prison – I was there, and I saw this… Totally unacceptable for a small independent business who did not vote for the BID but had it imposed on him by previous councils.
So, if the West Suffolk Council has faith in the BID, and to know that businesses know what is best for them, they should abstain from voting.
I do NOT give my permission for my council tax being spent on this, and I am sure, if other people knew this, they would not either.
Also, are you aware that all through lockdown, when businesses were closed, the BID STILL claimed the Levy… they have no morals when it comes to getting the pound of flesh.
I urge you to consider this email very carefully, and if you have ANY doubt then you should also read this article from The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/apr/14/as-transparent-as-a-brick-wall-british-firms-fight-back-against-business-improvement-districts
This email will also be published to my social media and website, and I look forward to hearing your reply.
UPDATE 5th June 2024 – No reply, so a prompting email has been sent with more questions…
Dear Indy
You may recall I sent an email to you last week regarding West Suffolk and its relationship to the BID ballot.
As a councillor from Haverhill, you will be well aware of the BID process, and how, a couple of years ago, the attempt to enforce a BID into Haverhill was kicked out. I am reliably informed by another councillor from Haverhill, that this was met with great relief as the councillors did not want it, but were too pathetic to voice their concerns.
It has ALSO come to my attention today that Mark Cordell has dissolved the company known as BSE DMO Limited. This is the company which operates the Bury St Edmunds & Beyond tourism section. This prompts further questions from me to you.
1) Has the West Suffolk Council stopped all funding to Bury St Edmunds & Beyond aka BSE DMO Limited?
2) Will the West Suffolk Council be funding any part of the Our Bury St Edmunds BID?
3) Has the DMO merged with the BID
4) Looking at the prospectus for the Our Bury St Edmunds BID, there is no reference, as has been previously, of salaries they will be paying themselves. This shows a total lack of respect and transparency to the businesses who are forced to pay. Do you condone this?
5) I ask again, will you be seeking to use the hereditaments to vote YES, No or to show some respect for the businesses of the town, to let them decide, and to ABSTAIN..
I DO expect a reply, and I am sure many others would like to know the answers to these questions.
I am tagging Cliff Waterman into this email who I am sure would reply, but as you are in charge of this. the initial reply should be from you. All correspondence WILL be published on my website.
I expect a reply from you in the next few days.
