BournemouthCOASTAL BID Ballot 7 Oct – 4 Nov 2026

BID renewal ballot · Business Plan 2027–2032

Vote Yes again for our coast

Over 550 businesses from Westbourne to Southbourne are voting on a fourth five-year term for Bournemouth Coastal BID. A YES vote keeps £3.29m of events, marketing, cleaner streets and safer trading working for your business.

Read the Business Plan (PDF)How to vote Check your levy

Postal ballot opens soon

Time until the ballot opens

—Days

—Hours

—Mins

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Ballot opensWed 7 October 2026

Ballot closesWed 4 November 2026

6.5m+visitors to Bournemouth each year

£500m+annual visitor spending

100,000+visitors drawn by BID events each year

12,000+jobs supported by the visitor economy

Essential reading before you vote

Read the Business Plan 2027–2032

Everything you’re voting on: the projects, the £3.29m budget, the levy rules and how the ballot works. Please read it before you return your ballot paper.

Download the Business Plan (PDF)

Key dates

Your ballot, step by step

It’s a 28-day independent, confidential postal ballot run by the Returning Officer at BCP Council. Look out for your ballot paper arriving at your business address.

1 Oct 2026

Business Plan mailed to all eligible businesses and Notice of Ballot issued

Download the Business Plan
7 Oct 2026

Postal ballot opens. Ballot papers arrive

Ballot opens
4 Nov 2026

Postal ballot closes. Make sure your vote is back in time

Last day to vote
Nov 2026

Result declared
1 Jul 2027

New five-year term begins, running to 30 June 2032

What your YES delivers

£3.29m invested in our coast, 2027–2032

Your levy is ring-fenced. It can only be spent inside the BID area, on the projects businesses asked for, and on top of what BCP Council already provides.

Distinctive Destination

£1.6m

Websites and social campaigns for each district
Seasonal lights and promotions
Year-round events programme

Enhanced Environment

£500k

Floral displays and planting
Deep cleansing and graffiti removal
Murals, installations and placemaking

Safer Day & Night

£300k

Free SentrySIS crime reporting app
On-call security patrols
Business Crime Reduction Partnership

Better Business

£250k

Free training for every levy payer
Hospitality support via BAHA
A strong voice with BCP and Government

If the vote is NO

The BID ends on 30 June 2027. There is no Plan B.

Over £3m of investment in the area is lost
Major events drawing 100,000+ visitors stop
Christmas lights and festive events disappear
Business crime initiatives and security patrols end
Graffiti removal, planting and cleansing stop
Local websites, social channels and promotion end

“In an age where council and central government resources and support are increasingly stretched, the BID is a critical part of our support structure.”

Kris Gumbrell, CEO, Brewhouse & Kitchen

“Bournemouth Coastal BID has been a real positive force for Boscombe.”

Rich Slade, Director, Cafe Boscanova

The BID levy

What would my business pay?

The levy is 2% of your premises’ rateable value (1.25% for offices). Businesses with a rateable value under £15,000 are exempt.

Rateable value of your premises

You’ll find this on your business rates bill or on the VOA website.

Estimated annual levy

£500

2% of £25,000

About £1.37 a day

An estimate from the Business Plan 2027–2032. Your levy bill from BCP Council is the definitive figure.

How the vote works

One vote per property. Two tests to pass.

Every eligible business ratepayer gets one vote for each property (hereditament) they occupy in the BID area. Businesses with more than one property get more than one vote.

Majority by number

More than 50% of the businesses that vote must vote YES.

Majority by rateable value

The YES votes must represent more than 50% of the total rateable value of all votes cast.

Every vote counts

Only votes returned count. If you don’t vote, you leave the decision to others.

Watch the postYour ballot paper arrives from 7 October 2026.

Mark YESComplete the paper for each property you occupy.

Return it earlyIt must arrive by 4 November 2026.

Can’t vote yourself?Proxy voting can be arranged. Contact the BID team.

Questions

Frequently asked

The BID has run for 15 years. Why can’t it just continue?

BIDs last a maximum of five years. After each term the BID must produce a new Business Plan and put it to a ballot of the businesses that will pay the levy.

Is this another tax that replaces council services?

No. A BID cannot replace services funded by your business rates. BCP Council has provided baseline statements, and everything the BID delivers is on top of them.

Who can vote?

Every business eligible to pay the levy, which means premises in the BID area with a rateable value of £15,000 or more in an eligible sector. Voluntary contributors can’t vote in the ballot.

What’s new in this term?

The boundary now includes Kings Park and AFC Bournemouth, alongside Westbourne, West & East Cliff, Pier Approach, Boscombe and Southbourne.

When would the new term start?

1 July 2027, running to 30 June 2032. If the ballot is unsuccessful, all projects and services stop on 30 June 2027.

Vote Yes and help secure the next five years

Questions about the ballot, your levy or proxy voting? The Bournemouth Coastal BID team can help.