A BID (Business Improvement District) is a defined area of the town, where town centre business with a rateable value of over £4,000 are invited to invest as a group in local improvements to the town (in addition to those provided by local government) with a view to improving the high street, increasing footfall and boosting business .

Barrow BID encourages local business people to get involved with shaping the future of the town.

As BID levy payers, they can be part of the decision making process, share and offer ideas as to where the money raised should be invested back into the town and agree on priorities. By collaborating and sharing their time and thoughts  with the members of the BID Board they can help put together a plan that can make things better for themselves, their staff, their customers – and the town centre as a whole.

The BID board is made up from representatives appointed from different sectors – large and small retailers, hospitality, food and drink.

It’s no secret that high streets – even in more affluent areas the length and breadth of the country, have experienced a drop in footfall and seen a rise in the number of empty shops and offices. By all working together Barrow BID aims to reverse that.

The Barrow BID website is a fantastic resource for finding out more about the area, its culture and heritage – as well as investment in the area and local sport.

They have a great programme of events throughout the year aimed at getting families out into town.  Not only will people have fabulous events to attend, they’ll also have the opportunity to take advantage of being in the town centre, having a bite to eat, grabbing a coffee or doing a spot of shopping too.

Here is a list of some of the initiatives Barrow BID are currently working on:

- A series of events including; The Car Show, Tour of Britain and more. 
- Marketing seminar for businesses with Geoff Ramm on 24th October 2018
- BID Clean event & town centre cleaning from 30th August 2018 
- Improvements for Christmas shopping
- Christmas activities and events
- A Visit Barrow brand, facebook page & website to attract more visitors
- A shop front improvement scheme and grant scheme to come
- Working with Barrow Police on ASB
- Business promotions including a restaurant week
- New signs for car parking
- Adding colour and interest in the town
- Sourcing match funding to attract new money into the town
- Creating partnership to ensure events and initiatives are sustainable and leave a legacy when the BID is not here. 
- Working with CCC & BBC to improve services including car parking
- Marketing the town 
- Communicating with business owners
- Becoming a catalyst for businesses to get involved and help improve the town for themselves

They are there for every town centre business paying the BID Levy, not just the large ones, so please spread the word and follow what they do here Barrow BID or on their website: www.barrowbid.co.uk