Ballot

The ballot

1. The ballot will be administrated by Southampton City Council Electoral Services. Ballot paper(s) will be sent or hand delivered to those responsible for an eligible hereditament in the BID area around 27 October 2026 to allow sufficient delivery time.
2. For each hereditament that a person is a ratepayer for, they are entitled to one postal vote. The ballot will open on 30 October 2026. Voting closes 5pm on 26 November 2026. Ballot papers received after 5pm will not be counted. The result of the ballot will be announced on 27 November 2026, or as soon as possible thereafter.
3. For GO! Southampton to be elected the result will need to meet, as a minimum, two independent criteria:

a) of those ballot papers returned by the closing date, those voting in favour must exceed
those voting against it.
(b) of those ballot papers returned by the closing date, the total rateable value of those

The Levy Rules

1. The Business Improvement District (BID) will commence on 1 April 2027 for a five-year term, until 31 March 2032.
2. The levy will apply to all persons or organisations liable to pay the non-domestic rates for eligible
   hereditaments located within the BID area.
3. All non-domestic ratepayers of hereditaments in the BID area with a rateable value of £19,000
   or more will be required to pay the levy. This is a mandatory charge and carries the same
   enforcement weight as the collection of non-domestic rates. Levy will be invoiced for by
   Southampton City Council on behalf of the BID.
4. The levy rate is 1.65% of the rateable value for each hereditament, as detailed in the 2026 Non-
   Domestic Rating List.
5. Occupiers within Westquay, The Marlands, West Quay Retail Park, Mountbatten Retail Park and
   Studio 144, who are subject to a service charge, will pay 1.55%.
6. Levy will be calculated using the 2026 Non-Domestic Rating List for the whole five-year term,
   except where explicitly mentioned otherwise.
7. Hereditaments that come into the rating list during the BID term will be subject to the levy from
   the effective date that the eligible hereditament is brought into the rating list and the rateable
   value effective at that time.
8. Future Valuation List amendments will not be taken into account in calculating the levy unless the
   property is deleted from the Valuation List. There will be no refunds given for retrospective years.
9. The number of hereditaments liable for the levy is approximately 741 (correct as of July 2026).
10. The rate will be amended on an annual basis in line with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) or 2% if higher, measured in September in the preceding financial year. This is subject to Board agreement.
11. The owners of untenanted properties or hereditaments will be liable to pay the levy.
12. The levy will have to be paid by a new ratepayer occupying an existing or new rateable property
    within the BID area, up until the end of the five-year term, even if they did not vote in the BID
    ballot.
13. Charitable organisations will not receive an automatic levy relief. Registered charities (excluding
    retail premises) can apply for Discretionary Rate Relief of up to 50%. Applications must be
    submitted in accordance with the process and timescales set out in the Governance section on
    the GO! Southampton website.
14. Non-levy payers will have the option to become voluntary associate members of the BID.
15. Southampton City Council will be responsible for collecting the levy. The chargeable period
    from Southampton City Council to the BID will be from 1 April to 31 March, starting 1 April 2027.
    The collection charge to the BID for this will be £33,186.88 annually. This equates to 2.53% of the anticipated billed levy for 2027-28.

Finances

1. The BID team has adopted a cautious approach to the indicative budget for the renewed BID
   term. This is based on historic and likely future trends.
2. A levy collection rate of 95% has been assumed.
3. The average annual levy available for the BID for the third term will be £1,308,000.
4. The Finance and Scrutiny Committee is a standing committee of the GO! Southampton Board,
   which oversees compliance with the BID’s financial policies and procedures.
5. During the last term the BID secured more than £490,000 in additional revenue. The BID aims to
   generate further investment in the upcoming term, working with funders and partners.
6. Core costs of the BID in the next term are estimated as 16% of total expenditure. It is important
   to the BID that levy goes towards deliverable change and support. This is why the Finance
   and Scrutiny Committee will continue to ensure that overheads remain below 20% of total
   expenditure.
7. The BID is a not-for-profit organisation.
8. The BID deliver services that are in addition to services provided by Southampton City Council.

Accountability and transparency

1. The BID will be governed by an independent Board of Directors. Elections to the Board will be
   held at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) and all members of the BID will be eligible to run for
   election.
2. Provided that the BID is meeting its overall objectives, the Board has the option to vary service
   delivery and expenditure allocation to meet the changing demands of businesses.
3. The BID will file annual accounts to Companies House, compiled by independent accountants. The accounts will therefore be available to all levy payers. We will provide information to businesses on BID activities, including our finances, through an annual report and Annual General Meeting. The BID is agreeing an operating agreement, which includes the council’s baseline statements of what they will deliver, with Southampton City Council.
4. GO! Southampton’s independent Finance and Scrutiny Committee has reserved a contingency
   fund in the event of an unsuccessful ballot, or low turnout. We trust that this will satisfy in relation
   to the Business Improvement Districts (England) Regulations 2004, paragraph 10.

The Regulations

Established in 2004, the BID Regulations can be found here and are a crucial document for all BIDs.

In October 2021, all eligible businesses in the BID area were given a vote to decide if GO! Southampton should continue for five years, or dissolve completely.

We are proud to confirm that 92.2% of businesses voted in favour by rateable value and 91.4% of businesses voted by number. GO! Southampton has therefore secured the mandate and investment to continue for a further five years (2022-27).