CHAIRMAN of the Chippenham Business Improvement District, Melody Thompson believes the scheme has been a success since it was introduced in the town a year ago, but that more work needs to be done.

Voted in by Chippenham businesses in November 2014, the scheme was introduced in April last year with the aim of promoting businesses in the town and establishing a range of money-saving initiatives.

“I think the BID is already a success, we are getting more and more engagement with levy payers and starting to see more passionate business owners stepping forward to get involved,” said Ms Thompson, a Chippenham councillor.

“The first year of the BID was always going to be a challenge, considering we were starting from scratch, but we have managed to put a lot in place.

“We need to do a better job of communicating the reason for the BID, what the BID has already achieved, and what it will achieve in the future.”

BID initiatives have included the launch of the Chippenham Connected website, free Wi-Fi in the town centre and parking initiatives to boost footfall.

The BID has come in for criticism however, most notably for the Christmas Lights Switch-On which was deemed a failure by many residents and local businesses.

“I was publicly vocal in my dissatisfaction with the way the event was delivered,” said Nic Puntis, who co-owns Sarah-Jayne’s Café and has now become a Chippenham BID Board member.

“I asked probing questions of the BID which, to the credit of the BID Board and management, were answered in a professional way.

“The BID Board also agreed there were lessons to be learned with regards to the Christmas Lights Switch-On event. which was encouraging as I felt they were listening to the concerns of the businesses they represent.

I am convinced that the BID can, given the support of the town’s business community, deliver on the BID Business Plan and ultimately improve the trading environment in Chippenham.

I urge all businesses in the town to support the BID by suggesting ideas for improvement, or by getting involved in steering groups.”