‘Dark time’ for traders over vote on BID scheme
TRADERS who voted against the continuation of a scheme which would have brought more than £650,000 into Bridgend are being blamed for the demise of the town centre, a councillor has said.
Bridgend’s business improvement district (BID) – called CF31 after the area’s postcode – was started three years ago with the aim of making the town centre a better place to do business.
But after businesses voted against its second term in a ballot on September 19, the BID has ended all its services and ceased to operate on Monday.
The results saw 39 votes for and 42 against.
Bridgend town councillor Steven Bletsoe, who runs a sweet shop in Nolton Street, said since the result there had been an outpouring of bile on social media towards those who voted against the continuation of the BID.
The deputy mayor, who sits on the town council’s regeneration committee, said: “It’s been a really dark time for traders in the town – they were asked to give a democratic opinion, they’ve given it based on their experience and their opinion, and now they’re being blamed for the demise of the town centre.”
While Cllr Bletsoe’s shop Ella Riley’s Traditional Sweets, which he runs with his wife Freya, is in a street which no longer formed part of the revised BID boundary, he voted against the continuation of the initiative in a town council vote.
Although four town councillors voted against the BID, the majority voted for it in respect of its two buildings – 8 Wyndham Street and Carnegie House.
Cllr Bletsoe said: “A number of councillors voiced concerns – I was one of them. It involves public money being spent on the levy.
“I’ve been called obnoxious, vile, and a traitorous councillor who should be sacked on social media.”
He added: “The levy may only have been £200 year but if businesses weren’t willing to pay that, then it tells me a lot.”
He accused Bridgend County Borough Council (BCBC), which has the legal responsibility for collecting the BID levy, of not chasing the non-paying businesses.
He said: “BCBC has publicly said it’s 100% supportive of the BID which is a traders-led initiative – yet they’ve refused to chase bad debt.
“If the collection agent doesn’t collect 100% of the levy, then the business plan is unworkable.”
A council spokesman said:“While collection rates for the BID levy were very high, a small minority of traders struggled to pay it during the early stages of the initiative.
“Bridgend BID were not keen for legal action to be taken as it was felt that this would add further pressure to businesses who may already be struggling financially.” FURIOUS parents say the green play area at their children’s primary school has been closed off and earmarked for parking by Cardiff Council.
The acre-wide “cae” at Ysgol Pwll Coch in Lawrenny Avenue, has been shut for 18 months, leaving the 500 pupils with only a concrete yard and thin strip of grass half the size to play on. The outdoor learning area on the grass is also out of bounds now.
Parents say they were told the area, including mature trees, hedges, a bank, a pagoda and forest school, was shut because the council claimed there were contaminants in the soil.
But the council’s soil report, obtained through a Freedom of Information request, shows there is no risk – and the early plans for the new Fitzalan High School development alongside Pwll Coch show the area is earmarked for parking for the new school.
Parents believe the contaminant issue was a smokescreen and the land has really been cordoned off and earmarked as parking for the Fitzalan development.
Helen Raynor, who has two children at the school – Steffan, nine, and Gruff, six – said a parent committee was launched to liaise with the council but this failed at the first hurdle when she and other parents were barred from a