Halifax BID announces the appointment of their Project Manager

Leigh-Anne Stradeski Chair of the Halifax BID Board and Chief Executive of Eureka! Children’s Museum said: “We are pleased to be welcoming Chloe into this exciting new role for the town.

“She will join us from the West Yorkshire Young Enterprise, where she worked on a project to link schools and businesses and brings with her a lot of enthusiasm and passion for the town.”

The Project Manager’s role will be to support the businesses in the BID area achieve their aim of developing the Halifax town centre into a quality destination and a great place for business, leisure and culture.

Chloe, who comes from Calderdale and knows the area well said, “I saw the BID job advertised via social media and after a lot of research realised what an exciting opportunity this is for Halifax.

“My experience with ‘Young Enterprise’ will help me develop important relationships between the businesses, the local authority, the police and other organisations to ensure that we can make the most of this great town.

“My first task will be getting to know the businesses and making sure that they can all get involved in shaping the priorities and activities necessary to deliver the projects in the BID business plan”

The BID business plan which was voted on by businesses with a strong majority last October has four strategic objectives:

*Promoting the strengths of Halifax town centre locally, regionally and nationally.

*Creating a great place for visitors and people working in the town centre to enjoy.

*Making sure that the town centre is welcoming and easily accessible.

*Encouraging growth and development of businesses and future investment.

There are now more than 270 BIDs in the UK as a whole and more than 90 which have been renewed after five years. A BID normally last five years, and can be renewed for future periods but needs to go through a renewal process.

A levy of 1.75% of rateable value was proposed for businesses in Halifax with a rateable value of £6,000 or more which will generate around £2.2 million of ring fenced funding over the five year life of the BID.

This funding will also be used to lever in additional funds where possible to enable even more to be delivered.

Leigh-Anne said: “Chloe will be making contact with businesses when she starts but in the meantime if you would like to know more information about the BID this can be found at www.halifaxbid.co.uk.”