Newbury 2025 Annual Conference, 2025 Vision Options

[Cognosco]

I'm sure that you are being the devil's advocate here Coggie but the town centre is the life of Newbury. It's important to ensure that the community as a whole are provided for by the quality of the services. Part of that service is to provide a focus for the inhabitants both for their leisure and for the daily things that we need to cotinue to live. I know that a considerable number of shops are on private estates, like the retail park, Tesco's, Sainsbury's and so on but you seem to believe that the shops are all take. They pay a gross amount of money in their rates so are entitled to get some of that back, by the efforts of West Berks Council for instance, making the trading centre of our town a little better than a wild west town with tumbleweed blowing down the high street if nothing is invested in it.

The shopkeepers know how important it is to attract footfall, as I think they term it, that is why they have voted to pay even more to make it a nice place not only for themselves but for you and I.

To summarise, they pay rates, they pay for the BID so their expectations could be such that they have a right to see their money going towards making the town centre thrive.

Quite agree with seeing their money going towards making the town centre thrive no problem with that at all. But disagree that the taxpayers should help them pay for it. What sort of leisure have we in Newbury that does not involve someone making a profit from? Apart from strolling down the canal or streets window shopping what else is there in the town to draw taxpayers like myself to want to go into newbury and donate my hard earned money to via taxation? Apart from my hobby of counting empty shop units of course?

[dannyboy]

What sort of leisure have we in Newbury that does not involve someone making a profit from?

Until we revert to a barter society - get over it. Or you could go live on a kibutz

[Cognosco]

Until we revert to a barter society - get over it. Or you could go live on a kibutz

Perhaps I should complain to Trading Standards then? The price shown on the tickets is not the price we are expected to pay as there are hidden costs? The actual prices are higher because we are paying extra to the shops for goods from our council tax?

Oh no I have given the chains an idea methinks? Cut prices by 50% but put up the donation made from the council tax to compensate that will fool the punters and get them spending yes give that a whirl?

[dannyboy]

Perhaps I should complain to Trading Standards then? The price shown on the tickets is not the price we are expected to pay as there are hidden costs? The actual prices are higher because we are paying extra to the shops for goods from our council tax?

Oh no I have given the chains an idea methinks? Cut prices by 50% but put up the donation made from the council tax to compensate that will fool the punters and get them spending yes give that a whirl?

you'd better stop drinking milk then.

[Exhausted]

Quite agree with seeing their money going towards making the town centre thrive no problem with that at all. But disagree that the taxpayers should help them pay for it. What sort of leisure have we in Newbury that does not involve someone making a profit from? Apart from strolling down the canal or streets window shopping what else is there in the town to draw taxpayers like myself to want to go into newbury and donate my hard earned money to via taxation? Apart from my hobby of counting empty shop units of course?

The shop traders pay their rates and I don't really see what you are getting at. You probably don't walk around Shaw Estate for instance. Does that mean by that logic that the estate shouldn't have street lights and have the roads maintained. (Unless you live on Shaw Estate of course).
We pay into a pot and from that various bodies get their share, a large proportion going to areas that have no benefit to me. I accept that premise and so long as it's not being trousered, that's the way of life.

[Simon Kirby]

The shop traders pay their rates and I don't really see what you are getting at. You probably don't walk around Shaw Estate for instance. Does that mean by that logic that the estate shouldn't have street lights and have the roads maintained. (Unless you live on Shaw Estate of course).
We pay into a pot and from that various bodies get their share, a large proportion going to areas that have no benefit to me. I accept that premise and so long as it's not being trousered, that's the way of life.

I may be wrong, but isn't the objection that the BID is getting money from WBC and NTC? I don't know whether that's even correct, but in my view NTC certainly shouldn't be giving BIDCo anything other than the Chrimbo Lights money, and if they are I would want to query what power they have to do so, because NTC's money all comes from the domestic council tax payer and it should be used exclusively for services for us. WBC is a bit more complicated because they get a large wad from the business rates, but again I don't see any justification for WBC giving BIDCo anything unless by way of a contract for BIDCo to provide more efficiently services that WBC were already going to provide themselves. Basically the whole point of the BID is that the district's businessess fund the improvements themselves.

[user23]

I may be wrong, but isn't the objection that the BID is getting money from WBC and NTC? I don't know whether that's even correct, but in my view NTC certainly shouldn't be giving BIDCo anything other than the Chrimbo Lights money, and if they are I would want to query what power they have to do so, because NTC's money all comes from the domestic council tax payer and it should be used exclusively for services for us. WBC is a bit more complicated because they get a large wad from the business rates, but again I don't see any justification for WBC giving BIDCo anything unless by way of a contract for BIDCo to provide more efficiently services that WBC were already going to provide themselves. Basically the whole point of the BID is that the district's businessess fund the improvements themselves.

I could be wrong, but aren't they paying the same as any business would because they happen to be in the BID area?

[Cognosco]

The shop traders pay their rates and I don't really see what you are getting at. You probably don't walk around Shaw Estate for instance. Does that mean by that logic that the estate shouldn't have street lights and have the roads maintained. (Unless you live on Shaw Estate of course).
We pay into a pot and from that various bodies get their share, a large proportion going to areas that have no benefit to me. I accept that premise and so long as it's not being trousered, that's the way of life.

So should Shaw estate shops have, what is in effect a rebate, on their council tax to attract punters into their shops?

[dannyboy]

So should Shaw estate shops have, what is in effect a rebate, on their council tax to attract punters into their shops?

No, they should ask for the BID area to include them.

[Cognosco]

No, they should ask for the BID area to include them.

And then they get what amounts to a sizeable discount on their rates then?

[dannyboy]

And then they get what amounts to a sizeable discount on their rates then?

No.

[Cognosco]

No.

So you don't consider the statement "I understand that they are being subsidised by £30,000 from the District Council and £10,000 from the Town Council" as being a reduction of their due rates then?
This is in addition to having given away half of Newbury to SLI for the princely sum of one pound and that is of course without mentioning their hands in the till for a substantial share of car parking fees!

Can I have a rebate on my business rates too please I need to attract punters to my business premises and they need to look nice?

[dannyboy]

So you don't consider the statement "I understand that they are being subsidised by £30,000 from the District Council and £10,000 from the Town Council" as being a reduction of their due rates then?
This is in addition to having given away half of Newbury to SLI for the princely sum of one pound and that is of course without mentioning their hands in the till for a substantial share of car parking fees!

Can I have a rebate on my business rates too please I need to attract punters to my business premises and they need to look nice?

Yawn,

No.

[Cognosco]

Yawn,

No.

So how does one become one of the select few who get their business subsidised in Newbury then what exactly is the criterea to enable a subsidy?

[dannyboy]

So how does one become one of the select few who get their business subsidised in Newbury then what exactly is the criterea to enable a subsidy?

What are you on about?

What select few? What subsidy?

£30000 is for the Xmas lights. Half what the council used to pay. What is hard for you to understand about that?

[Cognosco]

What are you on about?

What select few? What subsidy?

£30000 is for the Xmas lights. Half what the council used to pay. What is hard for you to understand about that?

I and others need money for Xmas lights to attract customers to our businesses we are not in the BID area, but we pay business rates to the council, how do we get a £30000 subsidy? Thats all I am asking just to make it fair to alll ratepayers you see?

[Simon Kirby]

£30000 is for the Xmas lights. Half what the council used to pay. What is hard for you to understand about that?

I think there's some confusion crept in somewhere. Grumpy says WBC are contributing £30k and NTC 10k to BIDCo, but I haven't seen anything to substantiate this so for starters it would be very helpful if Grumpy could explain his figures. I don't know where the idea came from that WBC are contributing £30k for the Chrimbo Lights, because that was always an NTC project. Although I thought the original idea was that BIDCo would do the Lights and NTC would part fund them I rather think it is NTC's plan to continue to provide them and that BIDCo should contribute something towards the cost (Chrimbo Lights is £90k of NTC turnover and 1/3 of a full-time member of staff, so they're never going to give them up without a fight). I'm not sure if User can be right about £30k and £10k being the respective BID levies as that would make the rateable value of the respective offices £3M and £1M respectively and that's not likely, but until Grumpy clarifies his figures it's not possible to offer an informed opinion.

[dannyboy]

I and others need money for Xmas lights to attract customers to our businesses we are not in the BID area, but we pay business rates to the council, how do we get a £30000 subsidy? Thats all I am asking just to make it fair to alll ratepayers you see?

Yawn,

Xmas lights have only ever been paid for by the coucil for the central area of the town. Maybe you should have thought of this when siting your business.

[Cognosco]

Yawn,

Xmas lights have only ever been paid for by the coucil for the central area of the town. Maybe you should have thought of this when siting your business.

And you do not see this as unfair to all ratepayers who are in business. Why should the town centre businesses be more important than other areas of Newbury when it comes to subsidising?

[Simon Kirby]

I and others need money for Xmas lights to attract customers to our businesses we are not in the BID area, but we pay business rates to the council, how do we get a £30000 subsidy? Thats all I am asking just to make it fair to alll ratepayers you see?

If there is indeed a £30k contribution from WBC which is not a contractual payment in lieue of services which WBC would otherwise be obliged to provide in the area then you make an extremely valid point.