Heart of London Business Alliance has become the first Business Improvement District (BID) in the UK to achieve four simultaneous ballot wins, with local businesses voting to secure the future of London’s West End as a vibrant and economically sustainable world-class destination.
The result comes at a time when our work will be crucial to driving the West End’s success, as the global economy faces a new set of challenges in the wake of COVID-19.
Property owners and occupiers voted on four ballots, with the Property Owner ballot renewals for Leicester Square & Piccadilly Circus voting in favour by 96% and Piccadilly & St James’s voting in favour by 98%. This was complemented by the establishment of two new BIDs, with successful Property Owner and Occupier ballots for the St Martin’s area, with positive votes of 98% and 89% respectively. This represents the first time in the UK that a BID has run a property owner and occupier ballot concurrently.
The new term will begin on 1 April 2020, but we have already begun lobbying the government on the critical action needed to support the business community during these challenging times. Beyond our work to create cleaner, safer and healthier streets, we are working with our businesses as well as partnering with wider West End businesses, on four main areas to mitigate the economic impact of Coronavirus. These four areas are to Inform, Monitor, Plan and Respond. Please visit our COVID-19 Hub for more information.
We will be adapting our business plans to ensure the recovery of the West End from these difficult circumstances, and to secure the commercial and cultural well-being of the Heart of London area.