Diary of a Shopkeeper, 13th March
‘Mummy mia! I love BID!’ Nasty Neeps display, October 2021 (sorry, can’t remember which shop!)
Imagine if, at local election time, we had the chance to vote Orkney Islands Council out of existence. Not just which councillors we wanted to represent us, but whether the council would exist at all. It’s a daft notion, but it’s also exactly what Scotland’s Improvement Districts, including Kirkwall BID, are obliged to do.
In January 2023, ballot papers will go out to BID members – around 280 business of all sectors and sizes, throughout the town centre. At that point a majority of businesses, by both numbers and by total rateable value, have to vote yes for BID to continue for another five-year term. So for those of us, like me, who are volunteer members of BID’s board and believe it does a lot of good for the town, there are those two significant popularity contests to win.
It won’t be a vote on whether members have liked what BID has done in the past. If it were just that, then we would surely have a strong chance of gaining approval. The current term has seen BID stage highly successful events like the Winter Wonderland skating rink and giant snow globe, the Costa del Kirkwall beach on Broad Street, the Victorian carousel, the March of the Penguins, and several Halloween parades featuring the pipe band, Just Dance and a cast of hundreds of youthful ghosts and ghouls. Not to mention the very popular Festive shopping days.
A real life love story at Costa del Kirkwall last August.
As well as events, the two years of the pandemic have meant BID has been thrust into a much more active lobbying role than usual to support its members in these difficult times. Successes in this field include persuading the council to continue the First Hour Free parking scheme throughout 2021, gaining a 10% top up grant (up to several thousand pounds in many cases) for any business that had received government Covid support, and winning from the OIC £500 for each eligible business to buy screens and PPE. The announcement this week that the council is installing contactless ticket machines in its carparks (funded by the Scottish Government) is very welcome. It’s something else BID lobbied for through 2020 and 2021.
In the virtual world, BID promotes its members activities and services when they post about them. This is valuable marketing, as BID has over 5,000 Facebook likes and 2,000 followers on Instagram. With a majority of our members paying just £75 per year to be in BID, a few shared posts on social media could recoup their membership levy in a flash. (Check out Kirkwall BID on Facebook and Instagram, and our website.)
But the reballot isn’t about the past five years: it’s about the future, 2023 to 2028. BID must present a detailed plan for the next term to its members, after legal checking from the OIC and Scotland’s Improvement Districts.
To ensure the plan deals with the town centre’s current needs, all members have been asked to fill in a survey telling BID what their priorities and preferences are. Where should BID be focusing its energies? What kinds of events should we stage? Should we continue to support the Kirkwall Gift Card? Should the BID boundary change? How much levy are members willing to pay in exchange for all this BID activity? (Kirkwall businesses currently pay less than any other BID in Scotland, but inflation is making a small increase in the levy almost inevitable.)
If you’re a BID member and haven’t yet completed the survey, please do so soon: the deadline is 22nd March. If you need the link again, or would prefer a paper copy, email enquiries@kirkwallbid.co.uk.
And if you’re a member of the public and have enjoyed any of BID’s events and other activities, and think they add to the vibrancy and attractiveness of the town centre, then please make your enthusiasm known by continuing to support local businesses – and telling them how much you love BID!
Cameron loves BID!
This diary appeared in The Orcadian on 16th March. A new one appears weekly. I post them in this blog a few days after each newspaper appearance, with added illustrations., and occasional small corrections or additions.