Southport BID has been recognised through the national Industry Standards programme delivered by The BID Foundation.

The accreditation is awarded to Business Improvement Districts that display transparency, accountability and professionalism of the industry.

The Industry Standards accreditation ensures that Southport BID is meeting the high standards of aspects including its business plan, governance mechanisms and reporting, Directors and personal interests, and detail on ballot results.

It also highlights information and documentation that should be made publicly accessible and easily identifiable by every BID.

Rachel Fitzgerald, Southport BID CEO, said : ‘This accreditation affirms that Southport BID is operating in an open and transparent way that aligns with national standards.

We continually emphasise our sector-specific forums, where businesses can engage, feed back, and discuss upcoming projects in a group setting.  Our ‘Resources’ page also displays clear and thorough operational documents that are accessible to Southport BID businesses.

The accreditation confirms our commitment to openness and transparency, and we will continue to work with the BID Foundation to ensure our procedures always meet national standards.”

The BID Foundation is an independent body that provides an authoritative voice for a collective of over 70 UK Business Improvement Districts.

The accreditation is awarded following an independent review process conducted by the Institute of Place Management, the professional body for place managers and leaders, based at Manchester Metropolitan University.

Introducing industry standards for BIDs was a recommendation of research into the BID sector and its development in the UK, published in 2020 by the Institute of Place Management.

Matthew Davies, Head of Membership and Engagement at IPM, said :  “This is a crucial piece of work to support BIDs. The Industry Standards further demonstrate the professionalism of BIDs that adopt them, and of the wider sector, which has stepped forward through the pandemic and now during recovery to provide support to thousands of local businesses.”

Find out more about The BID Foundation
https://placemanagement.org/the-bid-foundation/

Find out more about the Industry Standards
https://placemanagement.org/the-bid-foundation/industry-standards/