Totally Truro

About the Truro postal ballot and how it will work

Under BID legislation, all qualifying business will be asked to vote on whether they want a BID in Truro to go ahead.  To date, there are 45 approved BID schemes operating across the UK.  

At the beginning of June 2007, the person with the authority to vote in your organisation will receive a ballot paper and statement – all votes will need to be received by 5pm on Thursday 5th July 2007 by Electoral Reform Services, the organisation who will independently conduct the ballot.  

Each business within the boundary with a rateable value of £10,000 or more (and excluding workshops, stores and garages) will be eligible to vote.  This means that some organisations occupying more than one premises, will have more than one vote.  

For the BID to go ahead, two conditions must be met:

1. More than 50% of businesses who vote must vote in favour
2. Of the ‘yes’ votes, they must represent more than 50% of the total rateable value of all votes cast

Under the legislation, if the BID is approved, all businesses regardless of how they voted will be under an obligation to pay the 1% levy each year for five years until 2012. Collection of the BID levy carries the same enforcement weight as collection of the non-domestic rates.

The results of the ballot will be publicly announced by 10th July 2007.  A ‘yes’ vote for Truro will mean that great things will start happening on the ground from 1st October 2007 with funds to deliver a comprehensive programme of benefits for five years from that date.