Larger stores likely to carry the day for Elgin BID

Elgin BID – ballot decision

Shop owners in Elgin will learn on Tuesday the outcome of the ballot held to decide the future of the Business Improvement District.

An announcement over the future of Elgin BID will be made at 4pm at the Gallery in Elgin Library.

With ballot votes based on the rateable value of properties, it is expected that larger town centre stores will sway the vote in favour of another five years for the controversial scheme.

While the vice-chairman of Elgin BID, David Robertson, has claimed that the vast majority of feedback BID has received has been positive, smaller businesses in Elgin have taken an opposite view.

A campaign led by the owner of the Baggs store in St Giles Centre, David Cairns, has urged store owners to reject the scheme, accusing BID of “gerrymandering” the boundary into which businesses come under the scheme to favour a positive outcome.

Mr Cairns said: “If we’re in the minority this time, then we’ll have to tolerate it. However, those that run the BID board can’t play a fair game.

“They’re using our money to run a political style, propaganda driven campaign – but I thought the money was supposed to be spent on improvements or politically correct, agenda driven recycling cobblers.”

Chairman of Moray Council’s economic development and infrastructure committee, John Cowe, said that he hopes the renewal bid is successful, insisting that BID had put in a lot of work in their first five years to revive the centre of Elgin.

Councillor Cowe, who also chairs the Moray Economic Partnership, said that Elgin needed revitalisation and the activities of BID was very welcome “for the economy of Moray”.

See Also:

Move to exclude Tesco from Elgin BID Ballot
Shopkeeper calls for resignation of Elgin BID board
Elgin BID gets £365k despite growing disquiet from shop owners

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