BUSINESSES in Worcester have voted in favour of paying for a new scheme which will give a £1.6 million boost to trade in the city centre.

Taxi marshals, new Christ-mas lights and parking payable by mobile phone are among a raft of projects which will be introduced next year after the Business Improvement District (BID) was given the go-ahead.

In a month-long secret ballot, 263 out of 613 eligible businesses voted – a 43 per cent turnout – with 71 per cent voting in favour of the scheme.

All projects will be funded by a levy of 1.5 per cent of each business’s rateable value each year. Charity shops will be given an 80 per cent discount. It means more than £1.6 million will now be spent on city centre projects over the next five years. Project manager Adrian Field said: “This is a massive boost for Worcester city centre. In these tough times, it is great to see businesses realise that the BID is an opportunity to reduce overheads and make their money go that much further.

“It will provide our businesses with an opportunity to compete with rival towns and cities in order to attract more custom and make the city centre a vibrant and attractive place to work, visit and shop.”

As previously reported in your Worcester News, the University of Worcester has pledged to contribute an extra £5,000 to the scheme on top of the £354,00 it will contribute each year.

But not all city centre traders had supported the scheme.

Tim Smith, manager of Durrant and Sons in Mealcheapen Street, said he did not believe the decision would benefit independent retailers.

“It is a load of absolute rubbish,” he said.

The Worcester BID has become the first one in Worcestershire and the 58th in the country.

Votes were weighed against business’s rateable values which saw 79 per cent in favour. Organisers had to get more than 50 per cent of the poll – based on both the number of votes and the rateable value of the premises for the project to go ahead.

Among the projects which will be delivered are: pay for parking by phone; marketing and PR strategy campaigns; new events and high quality street entertainment; improved pedestrian signage; working to seek cheaper insurance and utility bills; street rangers and taxi marshals; new Christmas lights; improvements to Angel Place; free and subsidised training courses; free membership of the CityNet and NightSafe schemes.