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Councillor Mogford asked: Could you help your members and public understand the roles of the Newport Now Bid (City Centre Management team) and the new (politically inspired, manifesto led) City Centre Manager role, by comparing and contrasting these roles relating to the city centre as she understands them. In particular it would be interesting to understand the ways in which the roles and responsibilities overlap and the budgets available to both Newport BID and NCC regarding City Centre Management for an NCC perspective. “The BID oversees the marketing and management of the city centre, representing more than 600 businesses during its first two terms – delivering projects in partnership with businesses and local authorities aimed at making the city centre a better place to work, visit and live.” Councillor Mudd responded: Newport Now is a private, not for profit company financed and administered by eligible businesses in Newport city centre. The BID has a five-year lifespan with the next re-ballot due to take place in late 2024. The BID is administered by a board of volunteer directors, which includes one member appointed by the local authority. The BID do not directly employ any individuals to undertake any of the work undertaken by the BID, instead using contractors when required. The BID is financed via an annual levy paid by eligible businesses. Only businesses with a rateable value of £5,000 or more per annum pay the levy, which is 1.25% of rateable value (or 1% for businesses in managed shopping centres). The average annual levy payment for businesses in the Newport Now BID area is £290. The Council acts as the collecting agent for the BID and the amount received by the BID is available in their annual accounts which is displayed on their website. The role of the BID and the local authority should not be confused. The BID provides services and projects which complement the statutory, facilitating and delivery role the Council takes in the City Centre. The Newport Now BID provides services such as the Street Ambassadors and the Visitor App and Gift Card scheme. They also provide advisory/training services for members aimed at saving money on energy and keeping them up to date with issues such as GDPR and digital marketing. The BID also organises the annual Christmas lights switch-on event and supports other events such as the Big Splash, Pride in the Port and the City of Newport Half Marathon. In recognition of the need to coordinate the strategic management and function of the City Centre, Cabinet supported the service area request for the creation of a City Centre Manager role. This role is seen as complementary to the services provided by the BID but takes a lead in respect of the collective functions and responsibilities of the Local Authority. The post holder is the point of contact for businesses in respect of Council services such as CCTV, waste collection and cleansing and will be supporting, for example, raising awareness of the new waste regulations which will directly impact many businesses. The post holder is also working with Gwent Police on ASB issues and other Council officers on matters such as Place marketing, running of events including the Newport Food Festival, and empty property enforcement. The Role does not have an allocated budget. Both the Newport Now BID and the City Centre Manager have a role to play in supporting the effective management and operation of the City Centre. Their roles are different but complementary and this additional resource will seek to benefit all businesses and users of the city centre.
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