BID group FOR Cardiff pledges £7.5m for the city centre

FOR Cardiff has said it will spend £7.5m on enhancing Cardiff’s city centre if reselected as the city’s business improvement district (BID).

The group, which is running unopposed in the BID ballot, has released its five-year plan for the capital city and has pledged to reinvest members’ levy of £7.5m back into the Welsh capital.

With high-street footfall steadily declining across the UK throughout the pandemic and recent reports suggesting that one in seven shops across Britain are now vacant, FOR Cardiff has said it recognises the need to attract people back to the city centre post-pandemic.

There are more than 750 businesses supporting FOR Cardiff, which are companies that pass the rateable value mark.

The BID will only go ahead if the majority of those who vote, both by number of businesses and by total rateable value, do vote yes.

FOR Cardiff needs to secure 50% or more yes votes by number (simply more yes votes than those who vote no), and those who vote yes need to have a greater rateable value than those who voted no.

It needs to be a yes on both counts or it’s a no vote – in which case FOR Cardiff ceases trading on November 30, 2021.

In 2016 84% of businesses voted yes by number and 86% voted yes by rateable value to select FOR Cardiff.

Huw Llewellyn, head of property and facilities management at Admiral and FOR Cardiff’s chairman of the board, said: “With the last 12 months causing unprecedented pressure on public health and businesses alike, now is a time for change.

“FOR Cardiff is in a prime position to respond quickly and effectively to the recovery of the capital and to the needs of those in the city centre.

“If voted in for a second term, we will invest £7.5m to continue the many projects our members find invaluable, while also implementing new innovations to help drive Cardiff through its recovery.”

The not-for-profit organisation, which is funded by more than 750 Cardiff businesses, has been tasked with championing the capital city since December 2016 – and the team hope to be reselected when members vote by post in June.

Outlined in the business plan Delivering The Future For Cardiff 2021-26 are strategies to promote environmental issues by transforming public spaces with pocket parks – and ideas to increase green spaces and potentially introduce “living walls” as part of their five-year plan.

As well as proposing a series of innovative projects – such as working with Cardiff’s city-centre-based universities to develop an internship scheme with local businesses, and introducing a challenge fund allowing organisations to bid for grants to help resolve issues such as technological problems and no-shows – FOR Cardiff wants Cardiff to become one of the UK’s first equality cities.

Cerys Furlong, CEO of gender equality charity Chwarae Teg, said: “We want to create a fairer Wales where all citizens are empowered to achieve their potential, and ensure that women have an equal chance of entering the workplace, developing their skills and building rewarding careers.

“There’s also a huge amount of evidence that shows that equality, diversity and inclusion is fantastic for business. The impact of Cardiff becoming an equality city will mean that businesses can attract, retain and progress really diverse talent – which will put us at the forefront of equality in the UK and perhaps in Europe as well.”

Following extensive consultation with businesses and communities across the city centre, all of FOR Cardiff’s most successful projects will remain in place if reselected.

Since 2016, the street cleansing team introduced by FOR Cardiff have removed 57,754 pieces of gum, jet-washed 441,008 sq m of streets and taken down 3,056 graffiti tags. The team will continue to operate a seven-days-a-week service to ensure Cardiff is a clean, safe city for all to visit.

Capitalising on Cardiff’s arcades, the inaugural campaign of the City of Arcades brand saw a 63% increase in sales for businesses in the arcades, drawing in 206,000 visitors to the capital in one day – with future projects aiming to continue driving footfall into the city centre.

Night marshals will also remain on the streets of Cardiff. And hundreds of businesses will continue to receive free training on subjects such as first aid, mental health and digital skills.

FOR Cardiff’s executive director Adrian Field said: “We now want to build on the city’s best-loved projects from the last term, but also drive our capital forward with some exciting new initiatives to create a brighter future for Cardiff.”