How Yorkshire Coast BID betrayed Bridlington – Yorkshire Post Letters

WE have a shop in Bridlington and strongly opposed the Yorkshire Coast BID (The Yorkshire Post, September 11) for the following reasons:

1. We were among a large amount of traders who were not given the opportunity to vote, the voting papers were never received.

2. Why is it traders over a certain business rates level have to pay when it is supposed to benefit all businesses? If it was fair, all should pay.

3. Why is it that Scarborough Council is not chasing their non-payers, yet East Riding Council has aggressively chased non-payers?

4. The statement that BIDs are successful in all other areas is not correct, if you investigate you will find a large percentage of other areas feel that it is just an extra tax and not worth the money.

5. Why should business in Bridlington pay to promote Whitby, Scarborough, Hornsea and Withernsea, and why should they pay for Bridlington?

6. If East Yorkshire businesses have paid proportionately more than Scarborough, then why is the BID not spending the same proportion on East Yorkshire?

7. The BID is not good value for money. If I spent the same amount on extra stock I could turn this over at least eight times in a year.

8. Why have we got people running the BID who do not appear to have a clue about grassroots retail?

I have not seen one original idea from the BID. I also do not know any other BID that covers so many towns, many of which are in competition with each other.

From: Tim Butler, The Ransdale Hotel, Bridlington.

I AM appalled that the limited company that runs the Yorkshire Coast BID is the same company that organised and conducted the vote. Surely this cannot be seen as an independent democratic vote (The Yorkshire Post, September 11)?

Furthermore, while I was made fully aware of the process and chose not to vote, I have since learned that a significant minority of businesses in the Bridlington area did not appear to receive any voting instructions.

Finally, the real problem here is the hidden agenda. The yes vote had to have larger collective rateable values than the no vote for the bid to be successful.

We were not told that the council would also get the vote for each of their sites on the Yorkshire Coast. Of course they would vote yes.

The five per cent surcharge on their rates bill could easily be deducted from next year’s tourism budget. Had I known this, I would definitely have voted against. It would have taken a significant no vote to overcome the might of the council yes votes. I feel cheated.

From: Mrs Long, Bridlington.

YOU have asked for opinions about the Yorkshire Coast BID.

I do, with my whole heart, feel that this extra tax on businesses is not only a completely atrocious act, but also an added kick in the teeth for businesses up and down the coast just trying to keep a roof over their heads.

It was already an insult from day one, but with the crushing effect of a global pandemic, the fact that the Yorkshire Coast BID still exists, and wants the money from firms, is shameful.

They claim to be bringing in tourists to the area, tourist which in almost all cases where coming anyway, with events that have happened in previous years without the BID.

The whole thing is a disgrace.

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