More inquiries into DBID ballot

Process had ‘really meaningful irregularities’

Scarborough councillors have called for more investigations into the “irregularities” centring around the ballot that led to the creation of the controversial Yorkshire Coast Destination Business Improvement District (DBID) in 2018.

The authority’s Audit Committee last week examined the results of the Association of Electoral Administrators (AEA) review into the council’s role in the ballot, the validity of which has been called into question by a number of businesses.

The report by AEA chief executive Peter Stanyon found flaws with the 2018 ballot process but concluded that “on the evidence presented to me I am satisfied that the ballot process was generally undertaken in accordance with the process prescribed by the [BID] regulations”.

He added that the ballot was “not administered as well as it might have been” and that he had “significant concerns” over parts of the process.

The Audit Committee decided that further investigations were needed and have asked that the authority’s Overview and Scrutiny Board be tasked to look into the DBID and where the council goes from here, with options to include how to terminate the council’s agreement with the DBID company.

Committee chairman Cllr Andrew Backhouse said Mr Stanyon’s report had left “more questions unanswered”.

Cllr David Chance said: “I have grave concerns still about the ballot itself and the irregularities. They weren’t minor irregularities, they were really meaningful irregularities and I don’t blame our Electoral Services department at all.”

The DBID is made up of more than 1,300 businesses in the tourism industry from Staithes to Spurn Point with a rateable value of more than £12,000, who have to pay a mandatory levy into the DBID, calculated at 1.5% of their rateable value.

The 2018 ballot, run by Scarborough Council, was passed by a margin of 217 in favour with 175 against, on a turnout of just above 29%.

However, it later came to light that 68 of the yes votes came from the councils involved in the process, including Scarborough Council.

The council is still legally obligated to collect the levies from businesses; bills are set to go out in August.