Vote NO to Advancing Aberystwth, the Business Improvement District (BID) is not fit for purpose and an unnecessary tax on the businesses of our lovely town. It's had years to prove itself as a great investment and be the 'saviour of our town' they promised us, but it but has failed demonstrate this so not worth throwing good money after bad. Read our evidence in the articles below.
P.S. If you would like to be put in contact with the Aberystwyth NO BID campaign team email us.
CONTINUING WITH A BID REALLY ISN’T THE BEST SOLUTION FOR ABERYSTWYTH.
TO FIND OUT WHY, READ OUR NO CAMPAIGN LEAFLET BELOW OR DOWNLOAD HERE.
Here are our blog articles providing well researched scrutiny of Advancing Aberystwyth.
Huge thanks goes out to all the businesses of the Town that showed their support and vote, that resulted in the end of a Business Improvement District in our Town.
Regardless of what the outcome of the ballot is tomorrow, lessons have to be learnt from the past five years, especially if Advancing Aberystwyth get to continue for another five years.
The Board Directors are fully aware of what has gone on but cannot defend the actions as they are either party to them or they simply protecting others. Oh, and it seems the Council are just as culpable …..
Not a book title unfortunately, this is actually taking place in our Town and just shows the lengths Advancing Aberystwyth will go to to secure a Yes victory. Here’s our proof, part 1.
Is it really right to include an ineligble voter in the voters list, knowing they would vote Yes?
This next form of ballot rigging really does show how disengaged Advancing Aberystwyth are with the businesses of the Town that are funding them. Intentionally stopping a No voter from voting, doesn’t get much clearer than this example.
Unfortunately there are more examples and the four to date are just the tip of the iceberg, there are enough to keep posting well beyond the ballot end.
If Advancing Aberystwyth get a second term, it is hoped they will listen to the criticisms of the Council on how they have managed and conducted themselves over this first term.
We really don’t understand why the Advancing Aberystwyth are so negative and gloomy about Aberystwyth, do they not believe in our lovery Town? There are always alternatives …..
The Council will not use their 16 votes, Car Parks, Library, Bandstand and Night Shelter will not influence the ballot outcome. The BID ballot will be decided by the businesses of the Town, something we have been long campaigning for.
For years Advancing Aberystwyth have been censoring their social media pages, ensuring only positive comments are seen, even hard to answer questions have been deleted and if the poster questions it, they will find themselves blocked or banned from the page.
Advancing Aberystwyth would have you believe that the No Campaigners are some underground hardened vigilante group who's sole aim is to destroy the future of Aberystwyth, but this couldn't be further from the truth!
So an Advancing Aberystwyth Board Director comes on our Facebook page and says the University have paid the full levy from day one - yet his own Board meeting minutes show this is not true! Yet again we show a member of the AA Board to be a blatent liar, see for yourselves! Why do they carry on like this?
Over the past four and a half years how well have the Advancing Aberystwyth board got to know you and your business? Do they know your name? Have they ever spoken to you, got your name, your contact number, asked who or how your business will be voting?
Are the BID Board really so stupid they can't even calculate their annual levy income? Based on offical council figures it’s a massive £19,000 / year out, over estimated!
We are now a week on from our first request to have a copy of the voters list that Advancing Aberystwyth put together and handed to the Council, a list which we are legally entitled to according to BID Regulations.
If the BID BOARD and PAID STAFF can stand infront of us and ask businesses to invest in them, knowing they are LYING about the Zip wire project, what else are they hiding? Here we show you more of their lies with EVIDENCE.
It was like ‘pulling teeth’ to get the Council to honour our democratic rights to view the voters list. Here are a couple of letters from the Against BID organisation that supported our case.
Democracy is already lacking from the process which is clearly being steered by the Yes Camp, heavily funded, access to information, able to manipulate the information, everything denied to anyone opposed to the process which is their right to do so.
It is alarming that so many businesses have NOT received the Notice of Ballot and Advancing Aberystwyth are stating, "nothing to do with us, speak to the Council !" Wiping their hands of all responsibility for a fair and democratic process, being in total control of the ballot list and clearly able to manipulate this to suit their end goal.
Advancing Aberystwyth putting out the impression they are this official governed organisation which they are not! It's a private limited company governed by self appointed Directors, a handful of people thinking they know best for everyone else, saying and doing what they want, accountable to no-one except themselves!
Advancing Aberystwyth should be more helpful if a levy payer is concerned they can’t vote.
Despite completing the online form confirming their address, some businesses have NOT received the Notification of Ballot sent out last week, have you?
Before the BID process commenced in 2016, the Council had earmarked £250k for the businesses of the Town, this came from the Mill Street Development, what’s happened to it?
When reading the promises in the Business Plan, it becomes apparent many of the points are over ambitious, already carried out by the Council or other organisation.
Not only are the Council not abstaining from voting for their Town Centre buildings, but the BID area boundary is again extending well outside the Town Centre to include these additional guaranteed 'Yes' votes - for the Council to help force the BID on us businesses!
When our business rates are getting us less and less in return, is it right that our levy tax is used to pay the Council for "FREE" parking incentives?
In business, it always pays to read over the detail many times and then ask yourself, "What is missing? What about the levy payment freezes?
The Town had it's first FiverFest Event last year in October and Advancing Aberystwyth are taking much of the credit for this event as their own but this is not true.
Advancing Aberystwyth have so far PAID Meercat £40,000 to carry outa price comparison service. This is despite the fact that even Meercat will provide the service for FREE to any business that phones them!
Located at footfall hotspots, using eye catching structures, why would you not want to take advantage of this Advancing Aberystwyth project to take your business to the next level!
In an attempt to get your 'yes' vote, BIDs have a habit of over promising but under delivering, and here with Advancing Aberystwyth this tactic is being played out for both additional funding and project deliverables. Don't take our word for it, ask the Advancing Aberystwyth Board for more information on how they plan to pay for everything in their plan.
If a BID wants to run using a Private Limited Company then it should be voluntary, businesses should be able to opt out, this is how private companies have been set up to run - not to spend ‘pubic money’ with a lack of transparency and accountability.
There is a blatant attempt by Advancing Aberystwth to make it appear staffing costs are lower than they actually are, ask yourself why? Unfortuantely their 'real' high staffing overheads leaves little for front line projects, and do you pay the levy to for the BID to create jobs?
When any member of Advancing Aberystwyth get's in touch asking for your Yes vote, ask them, "Why are you lying to the businesses of the Town ?" Here’s why.
The Advancing Aberystwyth BID Team is relying on the “something is better than nothing” option for the Town’s growth, but is it ? Here we show you how other towns are thriving without a BID, and in a recent UK survey did you realise that 18 of the 20 worst High Streets have a BID (including the worst) - yet the best doesn’t have a BID!
Some Advancing Aberystwyth vote YES camp voters are moaning and berating the NO camp with “tell us what the alternatives are?” So let’s explore this question here.
Do Aberystwyth University receive an 80% discount on their levy payments? This is a question Advancing Aberystyth are having problem giving an honest answer to, on one had they deny it on their own website “Facts” section, but on the other hand in Board minutes admit the discount. Which one is it, and why the lies and deception?
Advancing Aberystwyth are claiming if the businesses of the Town vote NO in the ballot then it will lose a list of things, including the Aber Zip Wire! Really?
When is this going to end ? We are seeing one lie after another, simply covered up and Advancing Aberystwyth continue to deceive the businesses of Aberystwyth, who are ultimately paying for their games. Here we expose more of their lies being used to try and make them look good and “woo” their voting levy payers.
We’re told that the BID in Aberystwth is for the businesses, decided on by the businesses, but that’s far from the truth and the Advancing Aberystwyth BID Board know this. The BID Board are happy to take the Council’s nearly 20 votes to help force in the BID against you businesses, so we suggested it would be fair for the council to abstain - but this has been rejected out of hand!
When you read lies like this instance exposed with facts, it clearly demonstrates you can't believe everything Advancing Aberystwyth says! Is it fair that the University were quietly given an 80% BID levy reduction for their vote, and then when questioned about this Advancing Aberytswyth try to cover up the fact and lie? Shows you really can’t trust what they say.
Not everything is FREE as Advancing Aberystwyth like to have you believe! The BID has wasted tens of thousands of pounds on a service that is not needed, not value for money, and is free from many utility brokers - including the company Meerkat Associates whom they’ve contracted!
As a levy payer are you happy that you are paying to clean the properties of non-levy payers? Shouldn’t they pay for their own cleaning rather than you subsidising?
Here we show you some of the flaws in the BID development and ballot process, which favours YES voters and disadvantages NO voters.
There are businesses within the Advancing Aberystwyth BID area, that despite contributing to the local economy employing staff and buying local products & services, receive no sales revenue from Aberystwyth or the surrounding area. Fact is, for those businesses the BID will only ever be a poor investment.
BID's try to convince voters to vote YES by saying no existing council services to a BID area are at risk. This is simply a lie, it's a promise that can't be kept. We’ve even seen Advancing Aberystwyth paying special attention to cleaning council properties in town!
Will Ceredigion County Council act in the best interest of the Town and abstain like their neighbours did over the border in Powys for Newtown and Brecon?
Advancing Aberystwyth are being very selective in highlighting what they have done, and simply pick the good bits that shows them in a good light in the public eye, but what about the things they’re not doing …..
You might not realise it, but Advancing Aberystwyth are already slyly working on the best way to get a Yes vote in the March 2021 renewal ballot, and are ready to move the goalposts to suit.
Advancing Aberystwyth is almost 5 years old, but has trade in the town boomed in this time as they promised us with all the money they’ve taxed businesses for, regrettably not. Clearly it’s too little too late to make a difference.