Town centre businesses voted 103 to 5 to keep the Welwyn Garden City BID for five more years. Most will pay a 2.75% levy on rateable value from April 2027.
Welwyn Garden City’s town centre businesses have voted by 103 to 5 to keep their Business Improvement District for another five years.
The BID, known as Wonderful Welwyn Garden City, runs the World Food Festival, the Christmas lights and the floral displays. Its new term covers 2027 to 2032.
The council’s news release calls it a strong mandate but gives no figures. Those are in the declaration of result, signed on 30 October.
The result
A BID ballot has to pass two tests: a majority of votes cast, and a majority of the rateable value those votes represent. This one passed both comfortably.
| Yes | No | |
|---|---|---|
| Votes | 103 (95.37%) | 5 (4.63%) |
| Rateable value | £7,424,950 (97.15%) | £217,500 (2.85%) |
There were 108 valid votes, covering £7,642,450 of rateable value. Three more papers were rejected as unsigned, unmarked or void.
The declaration does not publish a turnout or say how many papers went out. The business plan counted 219 occupied and trading businesses that meet the levy criteria. If that was close to the electorate, about half of them voted, but that is our estimate and not a council figure.
The council was a voter too. In September its Cabinet was asked to cast a YES vote for the properties it owns inside the boundary.
What businesses will now pay
The vote makes the levy compulsory for every eligible business inside the boundary, including those that voted no or did not vote. We set out the details before the ballot:
- 2.75% of rateable value in the first year
- 2.41% for businesses inside the shopping centre
- nothing for premises with a rateable value below £5,000
- a cap at a rateable value of £1 million
The plan expects to raise £2,069,647 from the levy over five years, with £208,162 from other income. It budgets 40% of its spending for marketing, the brand and events, and 20% for investment promotion and business support.
What the BID says it will do
The new term will focus on three themes, which the council’s release names as Proud Place, Thriving Economy and Welcoming Environment.
BID manager Nicky Kane said its signature events “will remain a big part of what we do”. She said the team also wants to “explore new ways to bring people into the town”.
Co-chair Mike Paraliki said the result shows businesses “share our ambition for the future of Welwyn Garden City”. Council leader Rose Grewal said she was “delighted” and that supporting town centres was a council priority.
What it means for you
If you run a business in the area, your first bill under the new term is due from April 2027. It is based on your rateable value as it stood on 17 September 2026.
If you shop or visit, the familiar events now have funding for another five years. The next is the Christmas lights switch-on on Saturday 21 November.
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