Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of Business Improvement Districts.

The Government is committed to supporting Business Improvement Districts, as they remain an important part of our high street and town centre agenda.

In 2014, the Department undertook a review of Business Improvement Districts to see what further powers could be made available to Business Improvement Districts to help shape the future of town centres.

This resulted in adding Business Improvement Districts to the list of relevant bodies that can challenge to run local authority services under the Right to Challenge and increasing the involvement of Business Improvement Districts in planning, by encouraging a bespoke approach to consultation.

The Department regularly engages with emerging evidence on the effectiveness of Business Improvement Districts, including studies and reports produced by the sector bodies such as the sector body British BID’s annual National BID Survey, most recently published in November 2018.