Governance & Levy Rules

Governance & Management 

The establishment and operation of a BID in Wales is governed by the Business Improvement District Regulations (Wales) 2005.

FOR Cardiff is the trading name of Cardiff BID Ltd, which operates as a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee.

The company is governed by a board of directors who serve in a voluntary capacity. The BID Board is responsible for the strategic and financial management of the BID and meets on a quarterly basis as a minimum.

The board will have no fewer than 12 and no more than 15 positions. Directors will be drawn from BID levy paying businesses and he board may co-opt up to two members from outside of the pool of levy payers, if they deem that there is a strategic requirement for an external skillset or point of view.

The split of representation on the board will reflect the sector breakdown of the BID levy paying businesses. Any levy paying business will be eligible to submit a candidate to stand for election to the board. The positions of Chair and Vice Chair will be held by directors from the private or voluntary sectors. Individuals currently employed by the BID company are ineligible for a position on the board of directors.

The board may establish subcommittees as it sees fit. Any subcommittee will have at least one director in their membership and any necessary budget will be agreed at board level, in line with the company’s financial protocols. The formation and membership of these groups will vary according to business need – up to date information on the groups including terms of reference, any delegated powers and membership will be available to any levy paying business on request.

Annual accounts will be produced alongside an annual review and these will be made available to levy paying businesses.

Cardiff BID has entered into legal agreements with Cardiff Council as follows:

Baseline agreement – sets out the minimum service standards to be delivered by Cardiff Council, along with any additional agreed discretionary services within the BID area

Operating agreement – this defines the contractual arrangements for the collection and enforcement of the BID levy

These agreements are available to any levy paying business on request.

None of the levy rules or governance practices of the BID can be amended without a full alteration ballot. The BID board may decide to vary the delivery of BID projects and the BID budget without a full alteration ballot, provided the variation falls within the spirit of the original BID proposal.

Levy Rules

1. A BID levy of 1% of rateable value will be charged on all eligible hereditaments listed in the 2017 local Non-Domestic Rating List as of 1st April 2021 other than those affected by rules 2 and 3. All new hereditaments entering the Rating List after 1st December 2021 will be levied at 1% of the rateable value at their point of entry into the list.
2. The following hereditaments will be exempt from the BID levy:
   a. Those with a rateable value below £25,000.
   b. Hereditaments that are classified by the valuation authority as: industrial, manufacturing, storage, or workshop.
3. Hereditaments within managed shopping centres may be eligible for a discount of up to 30% on their levy (i.e., charged 0.7% of their rateable value rather than 1%). In recognition of spend towards marketing, cleansing and security within their service charge.  The terms for establishing these discounts are fixed for the duration of the BID term and are available on request.
4. The BID levy may increase by an inflationary factor of up to 2% in successive years (i.e., up from 1% to 1.02% in year 2). The board will assess if any increase is appropriate each year, giving careful consideration to the economic environment.
5. The term of the BID will be five years from 1st December 2021 to 30th November 2026, directly following the term of the current BID.
6. The levy will be charged annually in advance for each complete chargeable period from December to November.  No refunds will be given.
7. In the case of empty or untenanted premises, the person or organisation liable for the non-domestic rates for the property will be liable for the BID levy with no void period.
8. A cap on the annual levy payable will be set at £50,000 per business. To qualify for this relief, a business must be able to demonstrate that the same legal entity is directly liable for the non-domestic rates for all hereditaments involved. Organisations which trade separately, but are part of a shared group of companies, cannot qualify for this relief.
9. Cardiff Council are the billing authority and will collect the levy on behalf of FOR Cardiff. Levy monies will be held in a separate revenue account and will be transferred in full to FOR Cardiff.
10. Only those reliefs and discounts stated in the levy rules are applicable to the Cardiff BID levy.