The Ballot closes in:
0
Days
0
Hours
0
Minutes
0
Seconds
There can be a lot of information and sometimes misconceptions about what a Business Improvement District (BID) is, how it works and where the levy goes. Here are the facts behind some of the questions we hear from businesses.
MYTH: The BID is part of the Council
FACT: St Albans City Centre BID is an independent, not-for-profit company led by a voluntary Board of local business and community leaders. The BID works alongside St Albans City & District Council and other partners, but it is a separate organisation. The BID Board makes decisions about BID priorities and investment.
MYTH: The BID replaces Council services
FACT: BID-funded services are additional to the Council’s agreed Baseline Services. The BID works with the Council and other partners to deliver additional benefits for businesses and advocate for investment in the City Centre.
Find out more about how the BID works →
MYTH: The BID levy is just another business rate
FACT: The BID levy is separate from business rates. It is calculated using each eligible property’s rateable value and, unlike business rates, is ring-fenced for investment in projects and services that directly support the BID area and its businesses.
Read the levy rules in the Business Plan →
MYTH: The BID is increasing the levy despite the pressures businesses are facing
FACT: The opposite is proposed.The new Business Plan reduces the levy rate from 2.19% to 1.85% in the first year of the proposed term, while still committing approximately £3.1 million on behalf of St Albans businesses over five years. From year two, the levy rate is planned to increase by 3% annually. The maximum levy payable by any single hereditament will also be capped at £10,000 in year one, increasing by 3% annually thereafter.
Read the 2027–2032 Business Plan and five-year budget →
MYTH: If my business doesn’t receive direct support, I’m not benefiting from the BID
FACT: BID investment benefits businesses in different ways. The BID supports individual businesses where it can, while also investing in projects and services that benefit the wider City Centre business community – from destination marketing, events and City Centre improvements to ShopSafe, business communications, support and representation. These are activities that individual businesses could not deliver alone.
See how the BID supports businesses →
MYTH: The Business Plan is fixed for five years
FACT: The Business Plan sets the priorities for the five-year term, but the BID team and Board will continue listening and adapting as business needs change. The Board may vary service delivery and expenditure while continuing to deliver the agreed Business Plan.
Read the 2027–2032 Business Plan →
MYTH: Businesses do not know what the BID does
FACT: The May 2026 survey received 187 responses – more than one in three levy-paying businesses – and 89.3% of respondents confirmed they were aware of the BID and its activities. A further 83% supported the continuation of BID newsletters and social communications. The BID communicates through newsletters, social media, its website, business visits, networking events, meetings, SMS and direct conversations – and continues to look for ways to reach levy payers clearly and consistently.
Read what businesses told us →
MYTH: The BID’s priorities stay the same from one term to the next
FACT: Businesses consistently tell the BID they value many of its established activities, so successful initiatives continue. But the BID evolves as business needs evolve. Business feedback has helped shape the new Business Plan and its three priorities – Celebrated, Welcoming and Supported – with a stronger focus on sustainability, business support, City Centre insight and cost reduction programmes.
Explore the three priorities →
MYTH: BID reserves are money sitting unused
FACT: The Company retains £100,000 at the end of each financial year for shortfalls against forecast levy income. These reserves will also cover the period when the company is awaiting levy receipts from the Council, at the start of the subsequent financial year. In addition, the budget allows for a contingency of £25,000 per annum, if unspent this money is allocated for new projects by Board.
View BID financial reports and accounts →
MYTH: There isn’t enough transparency about where the levy money goes
FACT: BID finances are reported openly. Annual accounts are filed with Companies House, levy payers receive income and expenditure information, and the Business Plan sets out the indicative five-year budget. Annual Summaries, filleted accounts and Limited Scope Assurance Reports are also publicly available on the BID website.
View BID financial reports and accounts →
MYTH: If the BID ends, another organisation will automatically take over
FACT: There is no automatic replacement for the BID. If a third term is not secured, St Albans City Centre BID will cease operating at the end of its current term on 31 March 2027. BID-funded activity would end, including flowers and floral displays, bunting, Christmas lights and installations, City Centre events and activities, ShopSafe, destination marketing, business communications, networking, business support and representation. Approximately £3.1 million of proposed BID investment over the following five years would no longer be available through the BID.
Read what happens if the BID ends →
MYTH: I pay the levy, but I do not have a say in how it is spent
FACT: St Albans City Centre BID is business-led. The new Business Plan has been shaped through ongoing engagement with levy payers, including business visits, one-to-one conversations, Board discussions and the May 2026 business survey, which received 187 responses – more than one in three levy-paying businesses.
The Business Plan sets the priorities for the next five years, and the BID will continue listening and adapting as business needs change.
Read the Business Plan shaped by business feedback →
MYTH: If I do not vote, it will not make much difference
FACT: Every vote matters. The ballot gives levy-paying businesses the opportunity to decide whether St Albans City Centre BID continues for a third five-year term. We encourage every levy payer to read the Business Plan, ask questions and, most importantly, use their vote.