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Businesses urged to contribute to 'pot of money' for changes
Businesses in Bury St Edmunds were urged to support a Business Improvement District for the town this week.
The initiative, which was first put forward in November, would see retailers and other firms paying into a pot of money that would be used for things such as marketing, security and Christmas lights - and on Tuesday, the idea was pitched to businesses in the town.
Town centre manager Steve Peters told a meeting at the Athenaeum that similar schemes had already been successful in other towns such as Ipswich, and said if businesses voted to adopt the idea it would give them a bigger say in how the centre of Bury was run.
"I believe this can give the best results for businesses in the town, with far more say and a lot more services," he said.
Under the scheme, which could start in April and would cover an area including Angel Hill, Parkway, Churchgate Street, St John's Street and Risbygate Street, firms would pay 1.75 per cent on top of their business rates – although anyone with rates under 10,000 would be exempt from the charge.
A full proposal for the initiative – which can only go ahead if more than 50 per cent of businesses in the district with 50 per cent of the rateable value vote for it – is expected to be put forward in September, with a vote in February.
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Weather for Bury St Edmunds
Wednesday 23 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 11 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: North
Tomorrow
Thunderstorm
Temperature: 12 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: North east
