Aberdeen City Centre Business Improvement District Ballot

Introduction

Proposals to establish a Business Improvement District (BID) in Aberdeen have been approved by city centre businesses.

The results are as follows:

• Number of YES Votes 182
• Number of NO Votes 109
• Total Number of Votes 291
• YES votes, as a percentage of total votes 62.54%
• Total Number of Eligible Voters 516
• Total Number of Eligible Voters Responding 216
• Percentage Poll Eligible Voters 41.86%
• Aggregate Rateable Value of YES Votes £27,274,500
• Aggregate Rateable Value of NO Votes £16,562,500
• Total Rateable Value of YES and NO votes £43,837,000
• Total Electorate Rateable Value £88,419,500
• Percentage Poll Rateable Value 49.58%
• Total Rateable Value of YES votes as a percentage of the Total Rateable Value of  YES and NO votes 62.22% 
• Three ballot papers were unsigned and therefore rejected.

The BID will become operational in October. The criteria for a successful "yes" vote were:

• those voting in favour should outnumber those against;
• the aggregate rateable value of those voting in favour should be greater than that of those voting against;
• more than 25% of eligible voters should take part in the ballot;
• the total rateable value of all those voting should exceed 25% of the combined rateable value of the total electorate.

The creation of a BID will reinforce a partnership between the Council and the business community to deliver projects which benefit trade by boosting the promotion of the city centre, improving its services and enhancing its fabric and environment. Eligible businesses within the BID footprint will pay a levy of 1% of their non-domestic rateable value annually. The money will be collected by the Council and passed to the Aberdeen BID Development Co Ltd – which will plough the proceeds into special programmes and environmental improvements.

Projects will focus on promotion, cleansing and litter, public safety and CCTV, public toilets, signage, waste management, parking, transport, roads maintenance, events, festive lighting and street trading. The initiative is expected to raise about £3.5 million for projects over the BID's initial five-year life span, after which businesses will be balloted again to discover if a majority want it to carry on.

Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure convener Councillor Kate Dean said: "By backing the creation of a BID essential additional funding for the city centre will be raised, which will enable the creation of a more vibrant, safe and attractive city centre. Now we can look forward to significant improvements over the five-year life of the project. We are confident that we the council, working together with the business community, can create an even more exciting city centre that becomes the envy of others."

Aberdeen BID Project Director David Halliday said: "Aberdeen businesses have voted to help make our city centre more vibrant, prosperous, safe and attractive by stimulating the city centre economy, improving how it looks and promoting it more effectively. We are delighted that the ballot for the BID has been overwhelmingly positive. We can now get down to the business of delivering the plan and making sure our members, all those in the BID footprint and the wider community benefit from tangible improvements."

Aberdeen Business Improvement District Ballot - Declaration of Result

"I, Valerie Watts, hereby declare the results of the Aberdeen Business Improvement District Ballot as follows:

Condition 1 - The number of votes cast in favour of the BID proposals exceeds the number of votes cast against those proposals.

Number of YES Votes	182
Number of NO Votes	109
Total Number of Votes	291

Condition 2 - The aggregate of the rateable values of the lands and heritages in respect of persons voting in favour of the proposals must exceed the aggregate of the rateable values of the lands and heritages in respect of persons voting against the proposals.

Aggregate Rateable Value of YES Votes	27,274,500
Aggregate Rateable Value of NO Votes	16,562,500

Condition 3 - At least 25% of the persons entitled to vote in the ballot have done so.

Total Number of Eligible Voters	516
Total Number of Eligible Voters Responding	216
Percentage Poll	41.86%

Condition 4 - The aggregate of the rateable values of the lands and heritages in respect of all persons voting on the proposals is equal to at least 25% of the aggregate of the rateable values of the lands and heritages in respect of all persons entitled to vote on the proposals.

Total Rateable Value of YES and NO votes	43,837,000
Total Electorate Rateable Value	88,419,500
Percentage Poll - Rateable Value	49.58%

I therefore declare that the four conditions for approval in ballot as specified in the Planning etc (Scotland) Act 2006 and the Business Improvement Districts (Scotland) Regulations 2007 have been met and that the Aberdeen Business Improvement District proposals are regarded as approved.

3 ballot papers were unsigned and therefore rejected.

Valerie Watts
Returning Officer
Date: 4 August 2011

Election Office
Town House
Broad Street
Aberdeen
AB10 1FY

• Back to the Aberdeen City Centre Business Improvement District page

 

Contacts

• Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure
  Aberdeen City Council
  Business Hub 4
  Marischal College
  Broad Street
  Aberdeen
  AB10 1AB
  Phone: 01224 523470
  Fax: 01224 523180
  Email: info@aberdeenbid.org
  
  
• David Halliday
  Aberdeen BID Project Director
  Email: david.halliday@aberdeenbid.org