The BID Foundation's statement on Plan B in England
9th December 2021
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Following last night’s announcement of ‘Plan B’ in England and new measures to tackle the spread of the Omicron variant, The BID Foundation is working to support our Members and their levy payers as we enter another challenging period for towns, cities and their businesses.
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While we welcome proactive steps to ensure that the NHS is not overwhelmed during winter, it’s clear that the new measures will disproportionately impact hospitality, leisure and entertainment businesses and continue to hit consumer confidence as we enter the crucial last 2 weeks of Christmas. In addition to the economic impact, the COVID Pass scheme in particular will bring a new training and support requirement for operators in England.
Support for businesses
The BID Foundation will be working with our Members to support their adoption and communication of these measures, as well as speaking with government and policymakers about much needed support for high street businesses. On Monday 13th December, TBF will Chair the Sector Leaders Group to understand the impact across the various organisations operating in our centres, and speak with representatives from the UK Health Security Agency and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. We will also add our voices to campaigns for business support that are already in train and coordinated by other sector groups.
Join our Plan B support webinar – Weds 15th December | 3PM
We would like to invite all our Members to join us on Wednesday 15th December at 3pm to regroup, provide information, and give a forum for BIDs to share questions, challenges and best practice.
You can find the joining instructions for the session below:
Support BIDs and their vital role
As we will keep reiterating, BIDs have already proven their resilience and vital role in providing support to businesses and communities over the past 18 months. BIDs in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are already working with covid passport schemes, and there is much learning and support we can share across the BID sector.
We would like to thank you for your continued efforts, particularly after a long year that has demanded much work and patience. We will be here to support you through this next phase of dealing with the pandemic.
If you have any questions or requests now, please do get in touch and TBF will do its best to support answering these.
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Best regards,
The BID Foundation team