Sheffield Hallam Has thrown its Support Behind a Proposal to Develop a Sheffield Business Improvement District (BID) for the City centre.

13th February 2015

If approved, the Sheffield BID will see businesses based in the city centre raise funds that will be used to make a number of improvements, making it a more attractive place to live, work, study and for leisure activities.

If successful, businesses with a rateable value of £40,000 or more will pay an additional 1 per cent levy on their business rates. This will raise £4million over five years which will be used to deliver improvement projects across the BID group's key themes, which aim to make significant improvements to Sheffield city centre. More than 500 businesses in Sheffield city centre will vote on the BID between 12 February and 12 March. In support of the Sheffield BID, Professor Philip Jones, Vice-Chancellor of Sheffield Hallam University said: -Sheffield Hallam takes an active interest in the ongoing growth and development of city and we are in full support of the BID, which aims to make Sheffield a better place to live, work, study and visit. -Our staff and student community play a vital role in Sheffield's economy, and a high quality city centre is an attractive proposition for future recruitment. Dr Nicola Palmer from Sheffield Hallam's Business School is the University's BID Champion. She said: "We see the university as a key part of the local community. We support the opportunities that the BID will create to offer a shared voice for the first time to more than 500 cross-sector businesses. And we believe in the power of collaboration to continuously improve our city centre, making it a cleaner, safer, more accessible and vibrant place to be." The final prospectus for the BID is available now at www.sheffieldbid.com