Your Bromley is the Business Improvement District (BID) for Bromley town centre.

It is a business led and business funded scheme to improve Bromley town centre through additional services and new initiatives and aims to promote Bromley to visitors old and new.

The BID has been running for five years and there will be a reballot shortly.

For six weeks a member of the BID team will be sharing their experiences over the past five years and explaining why they feel a yes vote from Bromley businesses is important for Bromley.

This week we hear from Zoe Griffiths, Interim BID Manager for Your Bromley:

Over the past five years the BID has engaged with all our businesses – from independents to premium retail chains, professional services and our offices – creating activity that all of these businesses can get involved with, and that is designed to help and support them all. We have also initiated a networking community for Bromley businesses to interact with each other.

News Shopper:

Most recently I’m really proud of the dedicated support we’ve been able to offer during COVID. We have helped businesses access funding and, in some cases, even helped some unlock more funds than they had thought were available to them.

Bromley is one of the top 50 retail destinations in the UK and I’m looking forward to helping the town maintain and build on that reputation over the next five years. Our new business plan will see a continuation of existing programmes, like recycling and chewing gum cleaning, that help make the town centre a clean and welcoming environment for businesses, employees and visitors. It will also see us deliver activities designed to attract more visitors to the town centre. Our experience-led plan will celebrate the heritage of the town by creating pop-up arts moments and installations. Continuing to fund the Christmas Lights will also remain a key part of our activity.

News Shopper:

In addition to the events programme we will also be shining a light on individual businesses, highlighting their Corporate Social Responsibility efforts and sharing CSR opportunities, matching businesses with the right people to help them achieve their aims in this important area. We also plan to introduce a staff loyalty scheme that will help Bromley businesses attract and retain quality staff, making working in the town more appealing than ever.

Over the last five years the BID has achieved a great deal. We have provided over 4,000 additional policing hours, recovered over £30,000 of stolen stock, saved businesses over £30,000 in recycling costs, cleaned over 14,000 square miles of chewing gum, provided the Christmas tree and lights for five years, and held many events designed to increase town centre footfall. These are all things that make a real difference to businesses in Bromley.

A Yes vote is a vote for a continuation of these services and even more exciting new activities to help Bromley businesses and appeal to visitors, both now and in the future.