The businesses of Knaresborough have been told BID is for the businesses, decided on by the business, but how can this be true if mass block council voting influences the outcome? If Public Authorities vote YES it’s projected they will cast a massive c50% of the total YES vote! Here is a letter from the businesses calling on HBC to allow a fair vote by abstaining.

The Notice of Ballot and Ballot papers start arriving and Knaresborians are shocked by the number of errors on the voting list!

An explanation of the BID ballot dates.

Here’s the long awaited Knaresborough BID Business Plan, and a lot of people seem disappointed with what they are reading after 2 years ‘consultation’.

The Knaresborough BID company Articles of Association are not fair and don’t follow best BID practice in allowing all levy payers to automatically become members of the BID company if the BID proposal is voted in. If voted in, to become a member you’ll have to fill in an application form to be approved by the BID Board of Directors, who have absolute discretion to approve who they want. Is this fair?

The Knaresborough BID Task Force is trying to convince businesses to vote yes by giving the impression no existing public services (i.e. council services) to the BID area are at risk. This is simply a lie, it's a promise that can't be kept.

This proposal appears election promise propaganda with no substance, trying to entice you with something that hasn't been properly thought through. In reality a lot of BIDs drop this Business Plan idea, just as Yorkshire Coast BID did after trying the Meercat service last year because it was not working, poor value for money.

The £54k are loans to be paid back, so the BID starts £54k overdrawn, nearly half of one years budget, and all voting levy payers will be contributing to this. Financial accountability and transparency is really important for a BID, it's proven as one of their major failings, so in this instance the Task Force must NOW be open and honest and declare their sources of investment, how much, from who and what the repayment terms are.

The businesses of Knaresborough have been told BID is for the businesses, decided on by the business, but how can this be true if mass block council voting influences the outcome? If Public Authorities vote YES it’s projected they will cast a massive 40-50% of the total YES vote!

On 5th May 2021 Knaresborough BID released a copy of the ‘Summary’ Business Plan, view it here and let us know your freedback.

The lies being spun by the Knaresborough BID organisers really is getting ridiculous now, does anyone really believe the BID organisers don't have a list of voters as claimed by their BID Consultant?

In February 2021 and even before the main Consultation process with the towns businesses, the BID Directors have already told the Press that the BID plan is to focus on marketing to "encourage overnight stays". Interestingly one of the BID Directors happens to be a local property developer / owner of short-stay accommodation, funny that eh?

So 2 blokes pushing for Knaresborough BID asked the Council for £27,000, and without a business case or proper due diligence the Council decided to hand it over, wonder why? Well because as we show here the Council has it’s own reasons to help force in the BID tax on Knaresborough businesses!