Businesses in Port Talbot town centre have voted in favour of continuing Viva Port Talbot, the town’s Business Improvement District (BID), for a second five-year term. 77% of businesses that voted in the BID’s renewal ballot said yes to continuing our work, which has seen the town centre supported through various events and initiatives since it launched in 2020.
This second term will see over £300,000 raised by businesses and invested into Port Talbot town centre over the next five years, with focus remaining on our four main themes of promoting, supporting, access, and securing.
Chair of Viva Port Talbot BID, Richard Jones of Selections Gift Shop, is thrilled with the result: “We’re so pleased that the businesses in the town centre are behind Viva Port Talbot. Our community thoroughly embraces our events and promotions, and it’s great that these will continue for five more years. Thank you to everyone that made the effort to return their vote. We’re looking forward to fulfilling our pledges, building on the events and the initiatives that we’ve started in our first five years, and making our town centre the best place it can possibly be!”
BIDs are business-led and -funded partnerships where businesses within a defined area invest money together to make the improvements that they identify for their trading environment. Businesses within the Viva Port Talbot BID area with a rateable value of £5,000 or more pay an annual levy into a collective pot, which raises £63,000 a year and funds the BID’s programme.
All eligible businesses in Port Talbot town centre received a ballot paper in the post in November asking whether they would like the BID and its activities to continue. For the BID to be re-established, the ballot had to pass on two counts: a simple majority of those voting must be in favour, and their votes must represent more than 50% of the total rateable value of the properties that voted. The result of the vote saw Viva Port Talbot pass with 77% of votes in favour, equalling 90% of the rateable value, solidly securing a second term for the BID. The full ballot results are available on the Neath Port Talbot Council website.
Viva Port Talbot was first established in November 2019 following a ballot that adhered to the same rules. The BID officially launched on 1st April 2020, and we had to adapt our initial plans due to the Covid-19 pandemic; instead of hosting events and encouraging footfall into the town centre, the BID’s first initiatives saw it offering business support and Covid recovery packages.
Richard Jones said: “It was tough at first to have to put all our exciting plans on hold and try to find ways to support our businesses through the pandemic. We’re proud of the various Covid support initiatives that we offered, which were a hit with businesses. Once restrictions lifted in 2021, we were able to start creating a programme of events, something that the town centre community has been crying out for for years.”
The list of events that Viva Port Talbot is responsible for includes the annual VivaPT Food Festival and the popular Christmas Parade, which was affected by Storm Bert this year. “The food festival is really the diamond in our crown,” Richard explained. “It’s an incredible day out in town for everyone, our businesses see an increase in profit on the day, and it helps to remind the public of all the wonderful businesses we have in our town centre.”
Stephen Kinnock MP for Aberavon Maesteg said: “I am really pleased to hear that Viva Port Talbot Business Improvement District has been renewed for another five-year term! Viva has put on some wonderful events over the past five years, including the successful Christmas parade, superhero day, the food festival, retro festival and a number of other activities which increased footfall to our town centre. They also ran a loyalty card scheme, and helped persuade the Council to agree to free parking in the run up to Christmas. As an early supporter of the BID, I’m pleased local businesses have seen the value of it and renewed it for another term!”
Port Talbot town centre councillors Saifur Rahaman, Sharon Freeguard, and Stephanie Grimshaw were also pleased to see the positive result: “We are thrilled by the strong support for the Viva Port Talbot BID. It is evident that businesses truly value the outstanding events and services Viva provides. We eagerly anticipate another five years of exceptional events and continued success.”
Levy-paying businesses in Port Talbot will have the chance to vote on the BID’s future again at the end of its second term in 2030.
For all the info on what we’ve got planned and how the ballot worked, please visit our renewal ballot page. If you have any questions or if you’d like to get more involved in our second term, please do get in touch.
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