Councillor calls for tourism company for Yorkshire's coast to be disbanded

Independent Scarborough councillor Bill Chatt insists Prime Minister Boris Johnson did more to bring business to the coast during the pandemic than the Yorkshire Coast BID.

The councillor is seeking to put a motion to a meeting of Scarborough Borough Council in May to scrap the BID (Business Improvement District), a private company which raises money through levies on eligible businesses to spend on projects that promote tourism and improve trade.

It comes as a hearing for a number of businesses in the East Riding who had been summonsed over unpaid levies has been adjourned until next month.

Councillor Chatt said the Government had helped businesses financially during the pandemic: “Boris Johnson has done more for staycations than the BID during the period when we couldn’t travel. A lot of people who would otherwise have travelled stayed and Scarborough, Whitby and Filey have benefitted.

It’s nothing to do with the BID company – they have been a very minor player.”

The councillor wants to use section 18 of the BID Regulations, which allows councils who collect the levy to terminate the arrangement under criteria including where “the works or services provided under the BID arrangements are no longer required”.

A Freedom of Information request in January showed Scarborough Council is owed the lion’s share of unpaid levies – more than £600,000 for the first three years, while East Riding Council was only owed £89,000.

Scarborough councillors have been told letters will go out to non-paying businesses in the borough in April. There are more than 300 BIDS in the UK and just a handful have been dissolved, including Dartmouth and Hexham.

Coun Chatt said he was sure Scarborough Borough Council “would do everything they can to put obstacles” in his way, but said the payment were “just another unwanted tax”, adding: “If they are saying they are there to support businesses, why not ask businesses should they continue?”

Hero Sumner, who chairs a group of businesses campaigning against the tax, said the BID was neither wanted nor needed. She said: “Businesses are now facing increasing pressure because bounce back loans have to be repaid now and also fuel bills are rising.”

David White, of Griffin Jewellers in Bridlington, wrote to East Riding Council seeking an adjournment until the section 18 is considered. Mr White said “under duress” he has offered to make a payment of some kind to the council as he doesn’t want a court judgment against his business.

However he said he felt the BID had “proved unaccountable and of little or no use in procuring events nor attracting more visitors to the area”, as well as “blatantly breaking” the rules by not having an annual general meeting.

East Riding Council said a number of businesses had requested the hearing was held in person so they could put their case directly to the magistrates.

As the magistrates’ court was unable to accomodate them, the case has been adjourned to April 7.

Cases involving other businesses were due to go ahead yesterday.

Scarborough Council said they were in a pre-election period due to a by-election in Whitby’s Mayfield ward.

A spokesperson said: “It’s not for us to comment on what Coun Chatt may or may not be looking to do.”

The BID declined to comment.