On Friday 26th March after a six-week postal ballot process, Newry BID was successfully voted in for its second five-year term.
Of the 300+ eligible businesses that cast their vote in the ballot, 88 % voted YES to another five-year term. Newry BID legally required 25% turnout for the vote to proceed but achieved more than double this. The turnout surpassed even the figures that the BID team had hoped for. The vote also required at least 25% of the total rateable value of members to cast a ballot. This was achieved with 86% of the rateable value of ballots cast, voting YES. Approximately 2% of votes were spoiled due to lack of signatures.
Eamonn Connolly, Newry BID Manager said, “We would like to thank every single business and organisation who took the time to cast their vote. It was a particularly difficult time to have to undertake a revote process; when so many businesses are closed or experiencing financial hardship. We appreciate that many people went out of their way to make sure their vote was cast. We also understand with premises closed, vacant or uncontactable there were some organisations who were not able to place their vote. We are delighted to have been given an overwhelming mandate. The hard work starts today, and we will not let our members down.”
Eamonn continued, “We have a full business plan available on our website (newry.com), outlining how we plan to help our members #Belong to the local business community over the next five years; what we are going to do to #Invest in the city centre and how we will encourage others to do so; as well as what we plan to #Deliver in that period.
“Over the coming weeks we will be announcing details of how we plan to support our businesses to safely reopen when we are given indicative dates by the Executive. Recovery will not be quick, and it will not come easy, but we are committed to supporting our members every step of the way.
“It is our Vision to ‘be the leading Business Improvement District in Northern Ireland offering tailored support to every one of our existing members. We want to increase our membership by supporting and encouraging investment in the city centre. We look forward to having the opportunity, over the next five years to help realise this Vision.”
Newry Business Improvement District is a business led initiative created by legislation which gives businesses the power ‘to raise funds locally to be spent locally’ on improving a defined commercial area. A BID is formed when the majority of business ratepayers within that area vote to invest collectively in that area, in this case it is all the businesses in Newry City Centre.
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