The Northwich Business Improvement District (BID) has announced that it’s supporting the ‘Raise The Bar’ campaign which was launched in April.
Led by Croydon BID, the campaign was created to lobby the government to raise the eligibility threshold for businesses to receive the £25,000 Retail, Hospitality and Leisure grant from a rateable value of £51,000 or under to £150,000.
So far, Raise The Bar has received the backing of BIDs across the country, industry trade bodies, the BID Foundation and The Association of Town and City Management, with more organisations lending their support to the campaign every day.
Across the country, the feeling is that the current threshold excludes far too many businesses with Bill Addy, Chief Executive of Liverpool BID and Chair of the BID Foundation, commenting: “We cannot underestimate the importance of our Retail, Hospitality and Leisure sectors and not just to what they bring to our economy but the people that are employed within them.
“That is why the Business Improvement Districts across the UK are supporting the #RaiseTheBar Campaign in asking Government to increase the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure rateable value threshold from £51k to £150k.”
Northwich BID Manager Jane Hough has echoed Bill’s sentiments and believes that raising the rateable value threshold will help businesses bounce back in the future when the economy will be in need of a massive boost.
“At the moment it is apparent that there are so many businesses up and down the country who aren’t eligible for the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure grant but won’t be able to survive without support,” said Jane.
“They are facing cash flow problems and aren’t in a position to be able to take on any further debt without severely jeopardising their chances of still existing in a few months’ time.
“The businesses that this is impacting upon need to be able to play their part in getting the country back on its feet in the future which is why we are supporting the campaign. If thousands of businesses have to close their doors for good then there won’t be much of a Retail, Hospitality and Leisure sector to go back to.”
For more information about the campaign, visit: raisethebarcampaign.com.
