Proposal 2014 - 2019YES!VOTE

Kendal BIDBusiness Improvement District

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ThePurposeofthisProposalSummaryistoOutline:Thepurposeofthisproposalsummaryistooutline:

Led by businesses for the benefit of businesses

Investing in the town’s future

A ring-fenced fund to address your priorities

Economies of scale and potential cost savings

Additional to existing public services

A significant business voice with real influence

Whatcan a Business Improvement District (BID) deliver for Kendal

Whatis a Business Improvement District

Whyis there a need for a BID in Kendal

Whatyou told us during consultations

Whereis the area covered by the BID

Howthe BID will be funded and managed

Whowill decide yes or no

Whenwill the decision be made

Howmuch will it cost you

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6Goodreasonstosupportthebid:

YES!VOTE

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Yourmoney,yourpriorities,yoursay!

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YES!VOTE

Kendal town centre

For most businesses the cost of backing the Kendal BID will be just a few pence a day – for over half it will be no more than the price of a cup of coffee per week! Yet this BID has the potential to generate so much more for Kendal, with £885,000 to spend on activities that will encourage more people to shop, visit and enjoy Kendal.

None of this can happen unless we make it happen. I urge all those eligible to vote to support Kendal BID and vote YES!

Martyn NicholsonChair of the Kendal BID Development Group and managing director, Russell Armer Homes

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The Kendal BID will deliver on 5 key objectives. These are:

1. To brand, market and promote Kendal as a centre for retail, services, leisure and tourism, including better use of digital and mobile technologies, and extending cultural activities, festivals and events.

2. To take pride in Kendal by creating a more attractive town centre for workers, residents and visitors.

3. To make it easier and more affordable to access Kendal town centre by introducing measures to incentivise car parking during quieter periods of the day, week or year, and, wherever possible, encourage alternatives to the car.

4. To invest in people and businesses to develop a more competitive Kendal that builds on its reputation for choice and customer service.

WhatcanabiddeliverforKendal?

5. To build, through the BID, an effective partnership between the town’s businesses, organisations and local authorities for the benefit of Kendal businesses, residents and visitors.

The Kendal BID will implement a Programme for Improvement that includes projects and activities designed to meet these five objectives. These can be summarised as:

• A comprehensive marketing, promotion and events campaign for the town;

• Improvement works designed to raise standards of appearance of the town centre;

• Trials of new car parking initiatives to encourage more people to visit the town centre;

• A series of enterprising initiatives to make use of vacant premises, achieve better business networking and deliver cost savings for many of the individual businesses.

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Kendal’sbetterTogether!

The Kendal BID is based on the premise that businesses can have greater impact on their own trading environment by working together. This is based on the impressive performance of BIDs in town’s and cities across the UK.

The priorities and programme for Kendal’s BID can be summarised as 4 ‘C’s:

• a Confident Kendal

• a Clean Kendal

• a Convenient Kendal

• a Competitive Kendal

ConfidentKendal

A comprehensive marketing and promotion campaign, including support for events and festivals. It will assert what is good about Kendal, spreading the word and ensuring that town centre businesses benefit from a clearer brand and identity, a raised profile and a greater awareness of the town’s offer. It will be tailored to deliver increased footfall, custom and sales. This will impact positively on business and customer confidence, projecting a positive image of Kendal as an economically dynamic, culturally vibrant, contemporary town with a thriving and distinctive town centre.

This will be delivered in three parts:

ProjectOne:Highqualitymarketing,promotionandPRcampaign

Kendal BID will lead the development of a new co-ordinated approach to branding and marketing the town centre, including promotion of both daytime and evening economies through a 5 year campaign.

As well as establishing and promoting a new brand, it will secure Kendal’s position as the key shopping and service centre for the Lake District and South Cumbria, and promote Kendal as the leisure and entertainment destination for UK and international tourists visiting the Lake District.

ProjectTwo:Programmeofhighprofilefestivalsandevents

Working with local partners, Kendal BID will support new and existing festivals and events where these contribute to the priorities for marketing and promoting the town centre’s businesses and services. Where appropriate this will include support for street markets and entertainment.

ProjectThree:Newmedia,newbusinesscampaign

Develop the use of new media and “smart” mobile technologies to equip the town centre to meet the growing expectations of a new generation of well-informed consumers. This will include: the creation of a new consumer website for Kendal with information on shopping, eating and drinking, events, attractions and activities; development of a new free-to-download town centre ‘app’; and extending the provision of WiFi access across the town centre and improving Kendal’s listing on existing websites.

Extending the application of new media will stimulate interest in Kendal and generate new business by introducing new ways for customers to acquire goods and services locally.

CleanKendal

Take pride in Kendal by looking after the whole of the town centre, investing time and resources where they are needed to enhance its appearance, and to ensure that a clean, safe and attractive environment is maintained for workers, residents and visitors alike. This will contribute to a positive image of the town, closely linked to the BID’s marketing activities, and capitalise on the civic pride in Kendal.

This will be delivered in three parts:

ProjectOne:Partnershipofbusinesses,communitygroupsandlocalauthorities.

Establish a new partnership between businesses, community groups and public authorities to plan and deliver a joined up and consistent approach that adds value to Kendal’s distinctive public realm. This should maximise the effectiveness of all resources available to improve the appearance and safety of the town.

YES!VOTE

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CompetitiveKendal

Take the initiative to improve the viability and vitality of Kendal town centre through actions to make better use of the existing premises, to make better use of existing skills and knowledge, and to pool resources to reduce the costs for many of the town’s businesses and organisations. This will create a more enterprising and competitive town centre where the creativity and ambition of entrepreneurs are positively encouraged and businesses work collectively to benefit from economies of scale.

This will be delivered in three parts:

ProjectOne:Newenterprise

A new initiative to encourage budding entrepreneurs to “have a go” at running an enterprise, taking the opportunity to stimulate new entrepreneurial activity in the town centre and to promote a positive attitude to the town’s future by filling several empty shops and office units in the high street.

ProjectTwo:businessnetworks

Kendal BID will facilitate business networks across sectors to promote sharing and learning locally and encourage the trading of knowledge and services within the Kendal BID area.

ProjectThree:businesssavings

Through Kendal BID businesses will be given the opportunity to benefit from cost savings achieved through group buying. Using the advantage of economies of scale, Kendal BID will negotiate better deals for essential business services including insurance, trade waste disposal and recycling, public utilities and so on.

ProjectTwo:PrideinKendal

Invest in the town centre through support for community-led initiatives that add colour and brightness. This will include contributions to groups or organisations whose purpose is to enhance existing features, or introduce new ones, that improve the fabric and appearance of Kendal’s town centre.

ProjectThree:Safeandwelcoming

Support for local initiatives that encourage businesses to work together to maintain the town centre as a safe environment throughout the day and the evening. This should include actions to reduce or prevent crime in Kendal town centre.

ConvenientKendal

Make it easy and affordable to access Kendal town centre. Working in partnership with South Lakeland District Council this will incentivise residents and visitors to make more use of the town’s businesses and services. Kendal BID will contribute to a series of car parking initiatives to trial and promote new ways to make Kendal town centre more convenient and accessible to shoppers and visitors.

The trials and promotions will draw on the lessons learned from successful car parking initiatives tested elsewhere and the success of tried and tested promotions used previously in Kendal.

The extension of “free” or discounted car parking spaces in town during periods with most potential to increase footfall and spend, for example after 3pm on weekdays or all day Sunday, will change many people’s perception of the cost and convenience of visiting Kendal’s town centre. In Chester, for example, the promotion of free car parking after 3 pm resulted in a 23% increase in footfall in the city during that period.

ProjectOne:Extendeddaycarparking

Kendal BID will incentivise people to visit and use the town centre during quieter times of the day through the delivery of car parking promotions that will offer discounts to the standard ticket charges at specific times of the day (e.g. after 3pm).

ProjectTwo:Extendedweekcarparking

Kendal BID will also incentivise people to visit and use the town centre during quieter times of the week, again through the delivery of car parking promotions that will offer discounts to the standard ticket charges on specific days (e.g. Sundays).

Kendal town centre

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YES!VOTE

Thisisarareopportunityforbusinessestoworkcollectivelytodrivethingsforward,totaketheinitiative,tohaverealinfluenceandtohaveapositiveimpactonthetown.JacquelineWard,Armstrong-Ward

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Whatyoutoldus“I think the town needs to decide what it is, who it is aimed at...”

“Kendal is very historic, with a traditional market town aesthetic that should be maintained (and promoted) at all costs.”

“Its beauty, proximity to the National Park, people like it here and I am sure many more would love to live here…”

“Failure to act and modernise so as we can compete with other towns.”

“Need for collective marketing!”

“Make it easier and cheaper for people to come to Kendal.”

“Reduce or incentivise parking costs like Booths.”

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BIDs are business-led initiatives taking advantage of government legislation that gives local businesses the power to raise their own funds to spend on their priorities in order to improve their trading environment.

Kendal BID is an investment scheme where local businesses collectively agree on the priorities and how to invest their money to benefit themselves, their staff and their customers.

Investment is needed to help the town centre to adapt to inevitable changes, for example, the increasing influence of supermarkets, the rapid growth in online retailing, and the increasingly well organised competition from neighbouring towns and cities. Both Penrith and Lancaster have their BIDs up and running.

Kendal in the evening

WhyisthereaneedforabidinKendal?

For the businesses and organisations in Kendal’s town centre the BID proposal is an opportunity. It presents a choice:

• a reactive and piecemeal approach reliant on the goodwill of a handful of individual businesses taking action ad hoc as time and resources allow, and where planned investments are almost entirely dependent on the availability of increasingly scarce public resources; or

• a proactive and cohesive approach involving the whole business community, where collaboration brings with it the benefits of shared experience, common objectives, and the pooling of resources brings the required economies of scale to have much more impact at lower per capita cost.

Whatisabusinessimprovementdistrict(bid)?

A Business Improvement District (BID) is a precisely defined geographical area of a town, city, or commercial district where business ratepayers are invited to vote to invest collectively in local improvements that are additional to those currently provided by local government.

Business ratepayers are asked to vote on an additional levy to their rates bill that, if supported, will be collected in a ring-fenced account and then used to finance the delivery of projects, services and activities detailed in their own Business Plan.

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Kendalisagreatplaceforeatingoutandwecoulddefinitelydomuchmoretopromotecafes,restaurantsandbars.Jointmarketingmakesgoodsensetomeandagoodreasontosupportthebid!ChristianHoyle,TT’sdiner

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Thechallenges Thepositives Theprioritiesforaction

Poor perceptions and negative attitudes.

Lack of a clear identity “what it is and who it is aimed at”.

Service centre for large catchment area.

Regular cultural events and festivals.

Beautiful location. Attractive to tourists.

Establish a brand for Kendal.

Collective marketing and promotion of businesses and services in Kendal.

Areas of town “looking tired”. Full of charm and character such as “the Yards”.

Low crime, “safe place to live”.

Historical market town.

Improve town centre aesthetics.

Costs of car parking.

Traffic system, road works and congestion.

Some free parking at New Road.

Occasional “free Sundays”.

More accessible town centre with “cheaper” and more free car parking options.

Competition from retail parks, supermarkets and growth in internet shopping.

Diverse range of shops and services, excellent specialist shops.

Improve the viability of businesses and be creative to improve vitality of town centre.

The economic drivers of change feature prominently in considering the needs for a BID. Kendal has a long history of independent retailing and the town’s retail offer continues to include an impressive range of diverse “specialist” shops, despite the recent and rapid growth of ever larger, more powerful, retailers in Kendal. Consumers vote with their feet, often influenced by price and convenience (cheaper goods, free car parking, etc) but the apparent strength of loyalty to specialist shops in Kendal provides some optimism and presents an opportunity for investment through this BID.

A more recent challenge is the growth in the number of consumers using the internet for their shopping, financial services, and many other activities traditionally associated with the town centre. Indeed many businesses in Kendal have concerns about the lasting impact of growing online sales and the immediate threat this poses to the town centre as a trading environment.

Work to canvass businesses in Kendal - to test their appetite for a BID in the town - began in the autumn of 2012. Visits to over 600 businesses in Kendal town centre (September 2012 to January 2013) together with responses to a short survey, the points raised at a series of consultation workshops and the findings from previous studies, have all been used to identify and confirm the main issues and challenges facing the future of Kendal town centre.

Whatyoutoldusduringconsultations

This, together with the subsequent consultations held in the spring of 2013 ensures that this proposal for a BID is well-informed by the town’s businesses and organisations.

You told us what the main challenges are, what was good about Kendal, and what the priorities for action should be. The most common responses are summarised below using a small selection of the actual comments we received:

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Furtherinvestmentisneededtoensurewecancompetewithothertownsintheregion.Thisinitialinvestmentwillneedtocomefromtheprivatesectorbackedbyfundingopportunitiesfromthepublicdomain.

derekArmstrong,Manager,CumbriaChamberofCommerce

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Whereistheareacoveredbythebid?

Reproduced from the Ordinance Survey mapping permission of the controller of Her Majesty’s Stationary Office Crown Copyright. Unauthorised reproduction infringes Crown Copyright and may lead to prosecution of Civil Proceedings License No. 100024277.

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Howwillthebidbefundedandmanaged?

The Kendal Futures Board and the proposed BID operating company will continue to seek funding contributions towards specific items or activities identified within the programme of projects to be implemented through this business plan. In particular, businesses within the town and surrounding district will be encouraged to support the implementation of the Kendal BID and its considerable potential to deliver wider benefits to the town and local area. Voluntary contributions can help to ensure that the benefits of activities such as marketing extend to areas beyond the defined BID area.

The Kendal BID creates a significant fund that has the potential to draw in further investment, including grant assistance from sources such as government, the National Lottery and other fund distributing bodies.

Some of the projects can also expect to attract sponsorship, again for specific items or activities that bring corporate benefits e.g. the sponsorship of the town’s festivals or online applications. This Business Plan assumes a relatively modest target for the above, of £20,000 per year or £100,000 over the 5 year programme.

The total income for the delivery of this 5 year programme based on income both from the BID Levy and from other contributions will be £885,165.

ExistingservicesKendal BID projects and services will be additional to those already being delivered by South Lakeland District Council, Cumbria County Council, Kendal Town Council or any other public bodies. Existing service statements will enable Kendal BID to monitor continuing levels of service and performance, particularly in relation to safety, cleanliness, maintenance and car parking. Full details about the provision of existing services can be found on www.kendalbid.co.uk.

bidlevyThe income required to deliver a 5 year programme of investment within Kendal’s town centre BID will be mostly drawn from the BID levy, collected on behalf of all the businesses involved by South Lakeland District Council - the billing authority and collection agency for the Non-Domestic Rates.

The BID levy will be fixed at one percent of the current Rateable Value (using latest available VOA survey data) for each property for a five year period.

The BID levy will apply to all properties (hereditaments) within the defined BID area including all those in receipt of charitable relief, but excluding those with a Rateable Value of less than £3,000.

The Kendal BID area includes 696 hereditaments with a Rateable Value of £3,000 and over. Their combined Rateable Value (RV) is a calculation based on the existing RV survey information. The combined Rateable Value is £15,703,300. This should raise £157,033 gross per annum or £785,165 over the 5 year term of the Kendal BID (figures correct at the time of publication).

None of the pre-ballot BID development work or ballot costs themselves will be recovered through the BID levy, but South Lakeland District Council will make charges for setting up and administering the collection of the BID Levy on behalf of the Kendal BID.

OtherfundingThe Kendal BID will not be limited to income derived from the BID levy and can expect to raise further funds from:

• voluntary contributions

• grants

• sponsorship and advertising revenue

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PeoplemustbepersuadednottobypassourtownontheirwaytotheLakedistrictresorts.Ourbusinesseshaveauniquediversitywhichcanbeusedtoouradvantageasothertowncentresbecomemoreanonymous.

SimonThomas,StaffofLife

Kendal town centre

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bidbudgetForecastfor5YearTerm

income 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 totalBID levy 157,033 157,033 157,033 157,033 157,033 785,165

Other funding 20,000 20,000 20,000 20,000 20,000 100,000

TOTAL 177,033 177,033 177,033 177,033 177,033 885,165

Expenditure 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 total 1. Marketing & promotion 30,000 50,000 50,000 60,000 60,000 250,000

2. Clean, safe & attractive 5,000 20,000 34,296 20,000 25,000 104,296

3. Convenient & accessible 30,000 50,000 30,000 26,000 24,000 160,000

4. Enterprising & competitive

35,600 32,000 30,000 28,000 25,815 151,415

BID running costs 20% 36,388 33,143 34,162 35,212 36,294 175,199

Contingency 5% 8,851 8,851 8,851 8,851 8,851 44,255

TOTAL 145,839 193,994 187,309 178,063 179,960 885,165

budgetYear1:2014

incomeBID levy 157,033

Voluntary contributions and grants

20,000

TOTAL 177,033

Figure includes £5,600 as a once only set up cost for administration of the levy collection.1

Expenditure1. Marketing and promotion 1) Marketing campaign 2) Festivals & events 3) New media campaign

30,000

2. Clean, safe and attractive 1) Community projects

5,000

3. Convenient and accessible 1) Car parking promotions

30,000

4. Enterprising and competitive 1) New enterprise 2) Business networks 3) Business savings

35,600

SUB-TOTAL PROJECT COSTS 100,600

Management overheads1 25,600

Administration (levy collection) 10,788

SUB-TOTAL RUNNING COSTS 36,388

Contingency 8,851

Budget carried forward 31,194

TOTAL 177,033

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YES!VOTE

Whatyoutoldus“Town Centre is looking tired with many shops closed”.

“Improvement in town centre aesthetics”.

“Town centre businesses are possibly suffering as a result of the poor perception that the public seem to have.”

“To develop the town centre appearance.”

“Improve access and parking.”

“Parking – [need for] close relations between Council and trade.”

“Keeping centre buoyant given difficulty of vehicular access and parking.”

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Thetimingcouldn’tbebetter,inthistougheconomicclimateitprovidestheopportunityforbusinessestojoinforces,makethingsbetterandimprovetheirprofitability.davidThrelkeld,ArmstrongWatsonAccountantsandFinancialAdvisers

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bidproposerKendal Futures is the BID proposer. It is the regeneration partnership for Kendal and seeks to facilitate and encourage investment in the local economy.

It is a private/public sector body with objectives considered by the Board to be consistent with intentions to establish and manage a Business Improvement District in Kendal town centre.

bidmanagementSubject to a successful vote, a Kendal town centre BID will be managed by the newly created Kendal BID Company, a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee, with its own ring-fenced accounts, and with membership open to nomination and election from all businesses, organisations and individuals contributing through the BID levy. This will ensure that the control, delivery and responsibility for the BID sit firmly with the business community itself. It is envisaged that the BID company will consist of 6-8 Directors who in turn will elect a Chairperson.

bidballotIn October 2013 the decision will be made through a ballot, to be conducted through a confidential postal vote, on whether or not to set up the BID. If the majority of businesses and organisations support it, then a BID will be established in Kendal town centre and will commence on 1st March 2014.

To achieve a ‘yes’ vote the ballot must satisfy two tests:

1. majority in number of those voting;2. a majority in Rateable Value of those voting.

Whocanvote?Each eligible business ratepayer will have a vote, provided they are listed on the National Non-Domestic Rates List for the defined BID area on the day of the ballot – scheduled for 25 October 2013. Exemptions, relief or discounts will not apply.

Those responsible for unoccupied and part-occupied rateable properties will be liable for the full BID levy. The BID levy will not be affected by the small

MonitoringperformanceandevaluationThe BID will monitor progress in partnership with South Lakeland District Council and Kendal Town Council using baseline information collected during the autumn of 2013 as part of a ‘benchmarking’ exercise to assist in monitoring the progress and impact of initiatives in the town. The use of a suitable set of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) will provide the necessary clarity needed to monitor and measure the effectiveness of the projects delivered through the BID. This will provide suitable evidence of performance to enable all the businesses and organisations contributing to the programme to see for themselves the effects of their investments in the BID.

business rate relief scheme and businesses that already pay service charges to landlords will not receive any discount. Where a property is vacant, undergoing refurbishment or being demolished, the registered business ratepayer will be entitled to vote and also obliged to pay the BID levy with no void period.

Each person entitled to vote will have one vote in respect of each property within the Kendal BID area where business rates are payable. A proxy vote is available and details will be sent out with ballot papers.

Whopays?Subject to a ‘yes’ vote, a levy of 1% of Rateable Value will be charged to each qualifying ratepayer using the most current Non-Domestic Rates list to calculate the amount payable. The BID Levy will be set by 1 March each year, based on the most current Non-Domestic Rates list, and updated for any changes in ratepayers, appeals, additions or removals.

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Thebidistheopportunitytobringaboutchange.iwanttoworkwithotherbusinessestomakeKendalmoreattractivetotheconsumer.Thiswillbringgreatbenefitstomybusinessandtothetownasawhole.GavinLowe,TheChocolateHouse1657

WhowilldecideYESorNO?

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What’sthetimetableforthebid?Again subject to the outcome of the vote, the Kendal BID will start in March 2014 and will last for a period of five years. The decision will only be made once all the votes have been received and counted by the independent body appointed to run the ballot. This will follow the close of the ballot at 5pm on Friday 25 October 2013. The results will be announced as soon as it is reasonably possible after this date.

Whenwillthedecisionbemade?

Mintfest

What’sinitforyou?Running a business or service in Kendal’s town centre should be an advantage. It should be a place which is well-known, well maintained and definitely worth visiting. It should have high footfall, high spend and thrive on a diverse mix of businesses and services.

Put simply, Kendal BID is an opportunity for businesses to do things better, to work together, to have more say in a better run town centre. Through actions taken collectively to promote what the town has to offer, to improve the appearance of the trading environment, to make it easy and affordable to visit, and to cut costs through group buying, the BID can deliver a thriving, dynamic and welcoming place that realises its potential.

YES!VOTE

Whileweunderstandthatmanybusinesseshavefoundlifedifficultinrecentyearsanddon’thaveagreatdealofmoneyformarketingoradvertising,weseethisasaninvestmentopportunityataffordablerateswhichwillhelptodrivefootfallintotheTownCentreforthebenefitofallbusinesses.PaulFoster,FSbdevelopmentManager

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Whatyoutoldus“Recognise we have a problem!”

“Deal with vacant frontages.”

“Acceptance that town centre needs to evolve/change/develop.”

“Lack of enterprise.”

“Stagnation. Do nothing attitude. Vacant shops/premises.”

“Loss of retail structure. Less shops à less footfall à more loss of retail.”

“Too difficult for people to park.”

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Rateablevalue Annualcost@1% Weeklycost dailycost< £3,000 Nil Nil Nil

£3,000 £30 58p 8p

£5,000 £50 96p 14p

£8,000 £80 £1.54 22p

£10,000 £100 £1.92 27p

£15,000 £150 £2.88 41p

£25,000 £250 £4.81 69p

£30,000 £300 £5.77 82p

£50,000 £500 £9.62 £1.37

£75,000 £750 £14.42 £2.06

£100,000 £1,000 £19.23 £2.75

£1,000,000 £10,000 £192.31 £27.47

The full business plan for the BID can be requested from the Kendal BID Co-ordinator or viewed and downloaded at:

www.kendalbid.co.uk

Howmuchwillitcostyou?

Findoutmore

If you require further information or have any queries relating to the content of this proposal please contact:

”With thanks to SLDC, Steve Barber, CNJ Media, Dave Willis, Steve Eggleton/eventdigital.co.uk and Cumbria Tourism for the photography in this proposal

Chris Kolek Kendal BID Co-ordinator

Tel: 07900 608085

Twitter: @KendalBID

Email: chris@kendalbid.co.uk

Website: www.kendalbid.co.uk

Thisisanaffordablebid.Forover95%ofbusinessesinKendal,theircontributionwillbeequivalentto,orinmostcases,muchlessthan,thepriceofadailycupofcoffee.

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YES!VOTE

ManyproductscanbesoldjustaseasilyonlinethesedayssothefutureforKendal’swonderfulmixofshopsandservicesisincreasinglyreliantonwhatKendaloffersasawhole.Sometimesitmakesgoodsensetoworktogether.AbiGreen,boots

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