The Echo backs the Southend BID

5:30pm Friday 19th October 2012 in Echo News

The Town Centre Partnership's Dawn Jeakings The Town Centre Partnership's Dawn Jeakings

NEXT week, Southend’s traders will take part in a landmark vote which could change the face of the High Street and seafront for generations to come.

On October 26, ballot papers will be issued for businesses to cast their opinions on whether the town should introduce a business improvement district.

The so-called BID would be one small step for those involved, but potentially one huge leap forward for the town centre. Today, the Echo launches a new campaign encouraging traders to back the BID.

Times have been hard for all businesses in recent years, and Southend has not survived unscathed.

But the BID, if it is voted through, would give traders the opportunity to do something they have never been able to do before - have a direct say over how their taxes are spent.

In exchange for paying an extra 1.5 per cent in business rates into a central cash pot, businesses will be able to take an active role in deciding what needs to be done and when.

It is a move which could raise £500,000 a year, to spend on sprucing up flower beds, introducing tougher controls on persistent troublemakers and even introducing uniformed “street rangers”.

And it is a move which the Echo, which will be contributing its own 1.5 per cent to the BID cash pot if it goes ahead, fully supports. Chris Hatton, deputy editor, said: “The Echo is delighted to back the BID. “Town centres across the country have suffered badly in the recession with shops closing down and little investment.

“While Southend seems to be doing comparatively well, there is still a need to invest for the future. “The BID gives traders the chance to do just that. “The team behind the BID are committed and proud of Southend and want to maximise its potential. It’s a fantastic opportunity which we hope all traders will positively embrace.” Many other towns across the country have already embraced the concept of a BID, and are now reaping the benefits.

The Southend plan has been piloted by the Town Centre Partnership, an action group funded by major traders, which believes it could make the difference between the High Street and seafront enjoying a thriving future - or succumbing to the threat of out-of-town shopping districts.

The BID would encompass every major shopping or entertainment area in the town centre, stretching from the new Tesco site off Short Street in the north to the cultural centre at the end of the pier in the south. It will provide unheralded unity and cohesion between traders, encouraging every one to have their say in how to improve our shopping heartland.

Dawn Jeakings, the chairman of Town Centre Partnership, said: “In what is a difficult economic climate, the Southend business improvement district will be crucial to the future growth and prosperity of the town centre and seafront. “I cannot stress enough how important it is that all the businesses involved take the time to find out more about the Southend Business Improvement District and cast their vote.

“This is an exciting opportunity to have direct input into the future of our town.

“It could mean the difference between success and failure for many businesses.”

Comments(23)

mys842 says...
4:59pm Fri 19 Oct 12

Fantastic idea. As a town, Southend has so much potential. The fact that it has a vast seafront and high street make it so much better than dreary towns like Basildon sandwiched in the middle of two roads. With this idea in place we may finally see some investment right in the heart of the town. And please let's not stop at flower beds and the like, how about bull dozing some of the eyesore buildings on prime land and building an indoor market like in Chelmsford, or smaller craft shops like in Romford and Brighton. It may not be a city, but let's think bigger than a couple of bobbys or plant pots!

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Olivia2847 says...
5:07pm Fri 19 Oct 12

mys842 wrote:
Fantastic idea. As a town, Southend has so much potential. The fact that it has a vast seafront and high street make it so much better than dreary towns like Basildon sandwiched in the middle of two roads. With this idea in place we may finally see some investment right in the heart of the town. And please let's not stop at flower beds and the like, how about bull dozing some of the eyesore buildings on prime land and building an indoor market like in Chelmsford, or smaller craft shops like in Romford and Brighton. It may not be a city, but let's think bigger than a couple of bobbys or plant pots!
Excellent post mys842 but the V Meldrew iin me think that will believe it when I see it!

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AuldGit says...
5:57pm Fri 19 Oct 12

Olivia2847 wrote:
mys842 wrote:
Fantastic idea. As a town, Southend has so much potential. The fact that it has a vast seafront and high street make it so much better than dreary towns like Basildon sandwiched in the middle of two roads. With this idea in place we may finally see some investment right in the heart of the town. And please let's not stop at flower beds and the like, how about bull dozing some of the eyesore buildings on prime land and building an indoor market like in Chelmsford, or smaller craft shops like in Romford and Brighton. It may not be a city, but let's think bigger than a couple of bobbys or plant pots!
Excellent post mys842 but the V Meldrew iin me think that will believe it when I see it!
Agreed - not to mention that so many businesses are already struggling that I can't believe there will be much enthusiasm for a 1.5% rise in business rates

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jolllyboy says...
7:31pm Fri 19 Oct 12

Been here before. Seen it all before. Why did all the offices in Vic Ave close - cos the council wanted a tourist town. First they wanted a business town, then a tourist town, now they want to go back to business. Make up your mind. You cannot have it all ways, the town is not big enough.

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Olivia2847 says...
7:53pm Fri 19 Oct 12

jolllyboy wrote:
Been here before. Seen it all before. Why did all the offices in Vic Ave close - cos the council wanted a tourist town. First they wanted a business town, then a tourist town, now they want to go back to business. Make up your mind. You cannot have it all ways, the town is not big enough.
Jollyboy - Southend has had 'a thumb in bum mind in neutral' attitude for years akin to the we the unwilling led by the unknowing council and other luminaries. There were golden opportunities missed in the sixties, the marina that went to Brighton when Brent Walker gave up and many other opportunities past over a - it is a total travesty all the way through like a stick of rock, one of the few items we are good at .....

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mcrosby78 says...
8:06pm Fri 19 Oct 12

Great idea, but why doesn't the council tax out of town shopping centres to make up the cash, instead of charging the little businesses? I'm thinking Tesco, Sainsburys and other large shops should be contributing, as they are the ones causing damage to our high streets.

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billericay boy says...
8:10pm Fri 19 Oct 12

Somehow I don't think business like myself will be interested in this load of tripe, we have enough to think about like getting customers in and making sure we have enough money to pay the government taxes and when they have been paid were left with nothing and have to start all over again. Reduce vat tax and corp tax and then that will give us small business a chance, untill then forget it.

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Nebs says...
8:19pm Fri 19 Oct 12

Will the local drug dealers who trade in the area have to chip in?

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Saxonpride says...
8:57pm Fri 19 Oct 12

jolllyboy wrote:
Been here before. Seen it all before. Why did all the offices in Vic Ave close - cos the council wanted a tourist town. First they wanted a business town, then a tourist town, now they want to go back to business. Make up your mind. You cannot have it all ways, the town is not big enough.
But by supporting businesses we stimulate the economy which enables us to attract more tourists because our vacant areas are filled with new shops.
My point is that a good sense of business and endeavour will only improve our reputation as a first class tourist destination.
We can have both, they're not mutually exclusive.

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Shoebury_Cyclist says...
9:24pm Fri 19 Oct 12

Sounds to me like they want to privatise the entire town centre by buying democracy. Introducing a private police force? I can see that ending in a few lawsuits when these uniformed jobsworths start trying to throw their weight around with the public.

Everyone in Southend pays tax so everyone should have an equal say. Allowing businesses to have more of a say because they pay bribes on top of their taxes? That's not democracy.

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v.randy says...
9:56pm Fri 19 Oct 12

Shoebury_Cyclist wrote:
Sounds to me like they want to privatise the entire town centre by buying democracy. Introducing a private police force? I can see that ending in a few lawsuits when these uniformed jobsworths start trying to throw their weight around with the public.

Everyone in Southend pays tax so everyone should have an equal say. Allowing businesses to have more of a say because they pay bribes on top of their taxes? That's not democracy.
Rubbish.
Not everybody pays tax .
Landlords,developers in fact any large business swerves tax (legally).
I haven't even mentioned Star Bucks who could rebuild Southend on their own with their petty cash.
Then there's Boots,Maccie D etc all very good at not contributing as much as they could (if anything)..legally of course.
PAYE is the only way to get 20/40% out of peoples pocket
But then again who would have thought my window cleaner would take home more than David Cameron...it's a f**ked up world!!!!!!!!!!!!!.

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Olivia2847 says...
12:29am Sat 20 Oct 12

Saxonpride wrote:
jolllyboy wrote:
Been here before. Seen it all before. Why did all the offices in Vic Ave close - cos the council wanted a tourist town. First they wanted a business town, then a tourist town, now they want to go back to business. Make up your mind. You cannot have it all ways, the town is not big enough.
But by supporting businesses we stimulate the economy which enables us to attract more tourists because our vacant areas are filled with new shops.
My point is that a good sense of business and endeavour will only improve our reputation as a first class tourist destination.
We can have both, they're not mutually exclusive.
Oh come on Saxon -the powers that be in SBC et al couldn't run a bath, let alone a crucial project like this! They would spend too much time arguing about what biscuits to have at the planning meetings, for example!

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emcee says...
12:40am Sat 20 Oct 12

So businesses will have to pay an extra 1.5% tax just for the privilage to have a say as to how their taxes are spent.
Firstly, the businesses should already have a say in where their taxes are spent. Secondly, the extra money raised will only replace taxes already squandered. Thirdly, it is only the very large and successful businesses that will be able to afford the extra 1.5% so any say in how the extra cash is spent will obviously be weighted in favour of these contributing companies.
As for suggesting the money could be spent dealing with trouble makers, these should already be dealt with by the police. Why should the traders pay for this.
There are two major issues that need to be addressed in order to kick a bit of life back into the High Street:
1. Accessibility. Cheap or free parking and cheap, reliable public transport.
2. Cheap rents for businesses and cheaper business rates, especially as insentives for new tenants.
The council should not be charging extra business rates just so the High Street can be "patched up". You may be able to put a bit of gloss on rotting wood to spruce it up for a while but but eventually it will rot away anyway. What is needed is to fix the real reasons why High Street shopping in Southend is unattractive. A few flowers will not tempt me to shop in the High Street. Cheap/Free car parking or the ability to use reliable and cheap buses will.

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Rochford Rob says...
8:48am Sat 20 Oct 12

Sounds like a splendid plan. Not. Who comes up with this rocket science? I'd dread to be a shopkeeper in Southend trying to make a living when some numpty decides to up my rates by another 1.5% because they want to spend my money better than I do on things I and many others already pay for.

It's utter, utter b*llocks.

Up the rents, up the rates, charge a small fortune for parking and tax everyone to death.

I can see that's gonna work. No wonder High Streets up and down the country are dying on their collective @rse.

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Shoebury_Cyclist says...
9:03am Sat 20 Oct 12

Pedestrianise the entire High Street from Pier Hill to London Road. That would improve things immediately. Southend town centre is far too car-centric. Get rid of all the open air car parking, replace it with open areas people can enjoy, and build a couple of large multi-story carparks on the edge of the town served by a reliable park and ride service. Remove the congestion and pollution from the town centre.
Create a low-priced travel card for local residents which covers trains and buses. It could be free for children of school age and state pensioners.

Basically make the town centre a green and pleasant place for people to visit as both tourists and shoppers. The current fugly steel and concrete wind tunnel is about as nice to visit as any other urban wasteland.

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fletch12107 says...
11:09am Sat 20 Oct 12

The High Street needs proper policing,proper cleaning,free parking and the re-introduction of a market. These are a few things that may attract the public that have boycotted the High Street for Lakeside,Westgate and Bluewater.

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Olivia2847 says...
11:24am Sat 20 Oct 12

fletch12107 wrote:
The High Street needs proper policing,proper cleaning,free parking and the re-introduction of a market. These are a few things that may attract the public that have boycotted the High Street for Lakeside,Westgate and Bluewater.
Exactly ........

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Shoebury_Cyclist says...
11:41am Sat 20 Oct 12

fletch12107 wrote:
The High Street needs proper policing,proper cleaning,free parking and the re-introduction of a market. These are a few things that may attract the public that have boycotted the High Street for Lakeside,Westgate and Bluewater.
Riiight… so people go to Lakeside and Bluewater to save a couple of quid parking charges. They must be morons or they're getting the petrol for free.

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emcee says...
3:48pm Sat 20 Oct 12

Shoebury_Cyclist wrote:
fletch12107 wrote:
The High Street needs proper policing,proper cleaning,free parking and the re-introduction of a market. These are a few things that may attract the public that have boycotted the High Street for Lakeside,Westgate and Bluewater.
Riiight… so people go to Lakeside and Bluewater to save a couple of quid parking charges. They must be morons or they're getting the petrol for free.
Not really. The free parking is a bonus. The main reasons to go to the big malls is down to variety and comfort.
Nobody wants to pay extortionate bus fares or car parking fees to visit a street where the majority of shops are those that sell coffee, sausage rolls, cakes, burgers and mobile phones. This sort of "shopping experience" is made even worse if it is raining or blowing a gale.

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Rollocks says...
10:17pm Sat 20 Oct 12

Wow the full weight of the Echo more like the wind of a Nat

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v.randy says...
10:19pm Sat 20 Oct 12

This is the same Council that decided to help the young druggies,alkies and thieves that reside in Shoebury by building a £3million social club for them and when they did what they do in said social club they withdrew funding..........my point being is that the Council is great on ideas but poor on seeing ideas through..most big projects need long term funding ,vision and committment..5/10 year plans ,if you can see past next week ,forget it.
As already said I have great sympathy for the traders..the council should get BID underway first and show the traders that they mean business and then approach the traders once they know they have a decent council backing them...also STOP the Saturday fireworks and save some money for a start.

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Dumbnut says...
12:51am Sun 21 Oct 12

Shoebury_Cyclist wrote:
Pedestrianise the entire High Street from Pier Hill to London Road. That would improve things immediately. Southend town centre is far too car-centric. Get rid of all the open air car parking, replace it with open areas people can enjoy, and build a couple of large multi-story carparks on the edge of the town served by a reliable park and ride service. Remove the congestion and pollution from the town centre. Create a low-priced travel card for local residents which covers trains and buses. It could be free for children of school age and state pensioners. Basically make the town centre a green and pleasant place for people to visit as both tourists and shoppers. The current fugly steel and concrete wind tunnel is about as nice to visit as any other urban wasteland.
And stop all the cyclists who ride up & down the high street.

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Shoebury_Cyclist says...
9:51am Sun 21 Oct 12

Dumbnut wrote:
Shoebury_Cyclist wrote:
Pedestrianise the entire High Street from Pier Hill to London Road. That would improve things immediately. Southend town centre is far too car-centric. Get rid of all the open air car parking, replace it with open areas people can enjoy, and build a couple of large multi-story carparks on the edge of the town served by a reliable park and ride service. Remove the congestion and pollution from the town centre. Create a low-priced travel card for local residents which covers trains and buses. It could be free for children of school age and state pensioners. Basically make the town centre a green and pleasant place for people to visit as both tourists and shoppers. The current fugly steel and concrete wind tunnel is about as nice to visit as any other urban wasteland.
And stop all the cyclists who ride up & down the high street.
Cyclists aren't the problem in Southend. Over the past few weeks we have had:

A pedestrian pinned to a wall by a car

http://www.echo-news
.co.uk/news/local_ne
ws/southend/9948153.
Woman_pinned_against
_wall_by_car/

Three people injured in a head-on crash between two cars

http://www.echo-news
.co.uk/news/local_ne
ws/southend/9959933.
Three_injured_in_hea
d_on_crash_in_Southe
nd/

A pedestrian knocked down and hospitalised by a car

http://www.echo-news
.co.uk/news/local_ne
ws/southend/9955253.
Pedestrian_hospitali
sed_after_Southend_c
rash/

A schoolboy knocked down by a hit-and-run driver in Leigh

http://www.echo-news
.co.uk/news/local_ne
ws/leigh/9961047.15_
year_old_cyclist_inj
ured_after_Leigh_hit
_and_run/

An elderly man knocked down by a hit-and-run driver in Shoebury

http://www.echo-news
.co.uk/news/local_ne
ws/southend/9858391.
Elderly_man_knocked_
down_by_hit_and_run_
driver_in_Shoebury/

A young man needing to be cut out of the wreckage of his car after he crashed it on Royal Artllery Way

http://www.echo-news
.co.uk/news/local_ne
ws/southend/9973791.
Man_cut_out_of_car_a
fter_Southend_crash/


A van driven through railings into an underpass

http://www.echo-news
.co.uk/news/local_ne
ws/southend/9973733.
Van_plunges_into_Sou
thend_underpass/

An eleven year old knocked down by a driver in Shoebury

http://www.echo-news
.co.uk/news/local_ne
ws/southend/9974626.
Eleven_year_old_boy_
knocked_down_in_cras
h/

A young girl knocked down trying to cross the road on Southchurch Road / Sutton Road roundabout

http://www.echo-news
.co.uk/news/local_ne
ws/southend/9974320.
14_year_old_girl_lef
t_with_broken_knee_a
fter_crash/

A four vehicle pile-up on the A13

http://www.echo-news
.co.uk/news/local_ne
ws/basildon/9969280.
Updated__Man_arreste
d_after_A13_pile_up/



In the same period there have been no stories of pedestrians hospitalised by cyclists. None. Open your eyes to the real problem on the Southend area roads.

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