Cheltenham Business Improvement District

A Business Improvement District (BID) is a geographically defined area where businesses come together and agree to invest collectively in projects and services which improve their trading environment.

Cheltenham BID represents and supports almost 800 levy paying businesses and promotes Cheltenham as a safe, secure, attractive, clean, welcoming, vibrant, and connected place to spend time.

You can find out more information about Cheltenham BID on their website.

How a Business Improvement District works

All BIDs within the United Kingdom are formed in accordance with government legislation which sets out how a BID operates and is administered.

A BID must go to ballot to ensure that all eligible businesses within the proposed area have a fair and democratic opportunity to vote on whether the BID should be established or renewed. This process ensures that the BID operates with the support and consent of the majority of those who will fund and benefit from its activities.

Most of the funding for any improvements and changes is provided from a levy. Sometimes funding comes from other public and private funding streams. If the ballot outcome is successful, all organisations in the BID area must pay the BID levy, regardless of how they voted. 

You can find out more information about BIDs on GOV.UK.

2025 ballot notice

On Monday 16 June 2025, Cheltenham BID Limited served notice of their intention to seek a renewal ballot for a further five-year term to run from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2031.

Businesses that are subject to the levy may vote in the ballot. This determines whether the new term for the Cheltenham BID will go ahead. A successful vote for a new term is one that has a majority both in votes cast and in rateable value of votes cast.

The ballot ran from 2-30 October 2025 with the result declared here on Friday 31 October 2025.

2025 ballot result

You can download a copy of the ballot result or view the result below.

Local Government Act 2003
Business Improvement Districts (England) Regulations 2004
Business Improvement District for Cheltenham
Declaration of result – 31/10/2025

As an agent of the ballot holder for the Cheltenham Business Improvement District ballot I certify as follows:

• Total number of votes cast in the ballot, excluding any given on ballot papers rejected: 345
• Aggregate rateable value of each hereditament in respect of which a person voted in the ballot: £28,271,000
• Total number of votes cast in favour of the renewed Business Improvement District for Cheltenham: 284
• Aggregate rateable value of each hereditament in respect of which a person voting in the ballot has voted in favour of the renewed Business Improvement District for Cheltenham: £25,082,250

I hereby declare that the proposal to renew the Business Improvement District for Cheltenham is approved. A majority of the Business ratepayers in the proposed BID area who voted, voted in favour of the proposal, both by aggregate rateable value and numbers voting.

Claire Traynor
Senior Consultant

Notes:

The total number of ballot papers rejected was as follows:
6 - Unsigned, unmarked or void for uncertainty
Total: 6