THE Salisbury Business Improvement District (BID) team has launched three footfall counters in the city to measure the flow of people coming into the centre.

The counters, which have been placed on the corner of Milford Street and Queen Street, Fisherton Street, and High Street, will help show exactly how many people are visiting the city and at what times of day.

BID afternoon and evening economy manager Steve Godwin said: “For the first time in the history of Salisbury, we will be able to measure the number of people coming into the city.

“Rather than it just being a “very busy weekend” and there being no way of measuring it, we will now be able to say ‘in September the trend was this and in October it was this’. We will then be able to compare it year on year.”

The data is to be passed on to businesses who can then make informed decisions on matters such as opening hours and staffing.

Dominic Imms from Cambridge Wine Merchants said: “In the past everything has just been speculation – people say, for example, that businesses aren’t doing so well because parking charges are keeping people away but in having the counters we will be able to have some empirical evidence to support that.

“It will also pinpoint the key times that Salisbury is busy – it’s not a giant solution to make business better but it will help us make informed decisions.”

Businesses in Salisbury voted in favour of the BID in November 2013, with 72 per cent of the votes cast being in favour of the proposal by number and 82 per cent by rateable value. Of the 550 businesses eligible to vote, 183 did, with 131 in favour and 52 against.

The Salisbury BID, which was launched in April, aims to raise £2 million over five years and has been set up to boost the vitality of the city.

It is funded through a 1.5 per cent levy on each business within the ring road with a rateable value of £10,000 Some businesses who voted against the scheme are angry about the mandatory payment which amounts to hundreds of pounds and is collected by Wiltshire Council in a similar way to the business rates.

The group of businesses said there should be some kind of incentive to encourage membership such as free or subsidised parking for owners.

However, Salisbury BID manager Robin McGowan said the “vast majority” of the 550 levy payers in Salisbury were happy with the BID, adding: “There’s always going to be a small minority who are not happy but I think this is through a lack of understanding about what the scheme aims to achieve. We welcome the chance for discussions with all businesses.”

Five-year project to boost Salisbury’s economy

A BID is a legal body that can only come into being following a successful ballot in which all eligible businesses have a vote on the proposal.
BIDs were first introduced in the UK as part of a pilot scheme in 2005. Since then, more than 180 BIDs have been established. BIDs can last a maximum of five years, after which time another ballot must be held to see if the businesses wish the BID to continue.
The BID board of directors comprises 17 members and at present is formed of an interim board.
At the end of year one, a formal board election will be held in which any levy paying business or eligible financial contributor can stand.
The BID aims to raise £2m over five years to be invested in projects chosen by businesses within the Salisbury ring road to boost the area’s vitality. The funding is raised by a levy on eligible businesses in addition to income generated through grants, sponsorships and voluntary contributions.