Weston Business Improvement District – BID

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Working together to make Weston a great place in which to work, live and visit.

The Weston Business Improvement District (BID) has been in operation since 2012 and is delivered through Weston Town Centre Partnership Ltd, which is a non-profit organisation limited by guarantee, set up in 1998.

The BID area covers Weston Town Centre and works with c. 400 Voting Levy Payers.

Businesses with a rateable value of £7,500 and over within the defined area pay, 1.5% levy based on their rateable value.

Weston town centre businesses voted in favour to renew the BID in 2016 and 2021 and BID3 will run until March 2027.

Weston BID works in close partnership with North Somerset Council and Weston Town Council.

The Operational Team

Paul Batts – Chairperson Weston BID

Darren Fairchild – Town Centre/BID Manager

Beverley Tucker – Assistant Town Centre Manager

The Operational team is supported by a voluntary Board of Directors and a BID Steering Group.

Get In Touch

Address: 32 Waterloo Street, Weston-super-Mare BS23 1LW

Street Wardens – 07725 839234

Darren Fairchild, Town Centre Partnership & BID – 07845 736840 or darren.fairchild@wsmtcp.co.uk

Beverley Tucker, Town Centre Partnership, BID & Highways – 07776 170229 or beverley.tucker@n-somerset.gov.uk

Weston BID Fourth Term

Weston BID will come to the end of its current term on 31st March 2027.

For 14 years, Weston BID has successfully delivered projects and services that businesses have identified as priorities. We would like to thank all businesses and other partners in Weston for the time and support they have given that has enabled these initiatives to be successfully delivered.

Under BID legislation, Weston BID can be renewed for a further term from April 2027 – March 2032 subject to a new business plan being published and a ballot being held.

Positive feedback from businesses through our early survey launched in February 2026 and our main consultation in June 2026 indicates that there is an appetite for the BID to be renewed. To see a copy of our main consultation document, click here

We have used this valuable feedback to prepare our fourth term Weston BID business plan which we are currently writing and when published will be available to download from here.

We have listened to what you have told us so do hope that what you read resonates with you.

All eligible levy payers within the BID boundary will have the opportunity to receive either a digital copy or hard copy of the business plan from the beginning of September 2026.

The notice of ballot will be issued on Monday 7th September 2026 with ballot papers sent out on Monday 21st September for the 28-day ballot. All votes must be received by CIVICA (the organisation appointed by North Somerset Council to independently run the ballot) on or before Thursday 15th October 2026 at 5pm. The person entitled to vote may appoint someone else to vote on his or her behalf (a proxy).

We hope that businesses will be minded to vote YES to Weston BID continuing for a fourth term. That will enable businesses to work together to ensure our town remains vibrant, clean, attractive and safe. Please remember that a ‘No’ vote will mean that all Weston BID’s projects and services currently delivered as well as those proposed in our new business plan will end and it is highly unlikely in the current climate that any other organisation will pick up the shortfall.

If you would like to discuss anything further, then do drop us a line by emailing Darren Fairchild at darren.fairchild@wsmtcp.co.uk and we can arrange a time to do this.

Thank you for your contribution and for being part of an exciting future for Weston BID.

Weston BID team

Weston BID Fourth Term Timeline

May 2026 – Main consultation sharing our draft proposals taking on board early feedback and sent to 350 levy paying businesses

June 2026 – Consultation results analysed and conclusions drawn on the final content

July 2026 – Business plan written and designed for the fourth term of Weston BID

August 2026 – Business Plan published and circulated to all levy payers

September 2026 – Notice of ballot published on or around Monday 7th September 2026. Ballot papers issued on or around Monday 21st September 2026 signifying the start of the minimum 28-day postal ballot.

Thursday 22nd October 2026 – Close of ballot on Thursday 22nd October 2026 at 5pm with the result notified by Monday 26th October 2026

Wednesday 1st April 2027 – If the vote is successful, the fourth term of Weston BID begins

Weston Town Centre Partnership have decided to hold their fourth term ballot in September/October 2026 to maximise the opportunity for businesses to vote; we are mindful that some businesses may be closed during the winter of 2026 so wanted to avoid that time period.

Baseline – Services provided by statutory organisations within Weston that have a correlation to the projects that the BID will deliver are being documented. The purpose of this it to ensure that Weston BID is adding value to current service provision and supporting businesses rather than replacing or duplicating existing services.

An agreement in principle, subject to a successful ‘yes’ vote, has been reached with North Somerset Council and Weston Town Council that these baselines will be reviewed each year.

Year 4 BID Achievements

Weston BID maintained its core commitment to safety and visibility in the town centre throughout Year 4. The street wardens continued to operate 364 days a year, offering daily support and reassurance to businesses and the public. Alongside this, targeted marketing, business support, and partnership-led events helped sustain town centre vibrancy through another challenging year.

Download Year 4 Achievements Report here

Projects

Street Wardens – Patrolling the BID area 7 days per week, 364 days a year. Tackling crime, anti-social behaviour, reducing stock loss and assisting businesses wherever we can.

DISC – provision of bespoke crime database where incidents are loaded to a central system.

Provision, maintenance and watering of floral displays.

Marketing and Events

Marketing and PR activity has increased as a result of us working in partnership with SuperWeston, the placemaking agency for Weston. As a result we have benefited from TV and radio coverage featuring our businesses.

The Marketing Strategy implemented by SuperWeston, with funding from BID, has created campaigns that have increased footfall.

Footfall

We have five sensors that allow us to gather anonymised data to provide unique visitor counts in key locations within the town.

Our placemaking teams can access the data to gather insights on visitor behaviour, identifying areas of high and low footfall providing quantitative insights for future activities, development and support funding bids.

Weston Business Crime Reduction Initiative (WBCRI)

WBCRI Radio link scheme is managed by Weston Town Centre Partnership, and currently has schemes running in Weston-super-Mare, Nailsea, Portishead & Clevedon.

The scheme provides local business (day & night) with a handheld digital radio, with permanent talk through capability. This means that members can communicate with each other, Street Wardens (Weston), the CCTV Control Room, and Police. Information regarding crime, disturbances, and nuisances are transmitted, and members can also use the scheme to request assistance from others.

Weston Town Centre Partnership also administers the incident recording database, co-ordinates intelligence sharing meetings and provides training and support. The cost to join the initiative and rent a handset is £9.00 per week

Business Support

Business cost reduction initiatives saving our levy payers money by facilitating the switch to cost effective commercial waste services or energy providers.

Social Media

Promotion of Weston levy paying businesses via social media channels such as Facebook and Instagram as well as Noticeboards, attendance of event and in person consultation.