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12
Aug 2023
Hot Seat: The man luring shoppers to Harrogate
Harrogate has one. So has Ripon. But Knaresborough hasn't.
We are talking about business improvement districts, which are set up when businesses agree to work together to fund schemes that encourage more shoppers into town and city centres.
You might not know much about Harrogate BID but you have probably seen its work.
The recent Harrogate floral summer of celebration, which saw nine town centre floral installations ranging from a Buddha to giant cakes, was its handiwork.
So are the town's Christmas lights, street entertainers and street ranger Chris Ashby, who buzzes around in an electric vehicle cleaning and weeding.
One of nine Harrogate floral summer of celebration displays by the BID.
In June, 76% of almost 500 Harrogate businesses eligible to vote did so in favour of supporting the BID for a second five-year term.
Such landslide support seemed inconceivable in the BID's early days, when it was riddled with in-fighting. But the appointment of Matthew Chapman as chief executive in 2021 heralded a change of fortune.
Former semi-professional rugby league player Mr Chapman has navigated his way through the Harrogate business world with a deftness and charm not usually associated with cauliflower-eared rugby bruisers.
June’s vote, which means town centre businesses with a rateable value of at least £19,000 will continue to pay a levy to fund the BID’s work, was a testament to faith in the BID and his rigorous campaigning.
Was he surprised by the whopping majority?
Read more:
- Businesses vote yes' to continue Harrogate BID
- Mint Velvet plans to open in former Harrogate Joules store
Even Mr Chapman's sunny disposition was tested when North Yorkshire Council, whose Harrogate businesses include the Turkish baths, the tourist information office and the library, abstained from the vote.
The now-defunct Harrogate Borough Council’s block vote helped the BID win its first ballot five years ago. Was he disappointed its successor local authority didn’t offer the same support?
(from left) BID staff members Bethany Allen, Chris Ashby and Matthew Chapman join chair Dan Siddle and vice-chair Andrea Thornborrow to celebrate the ballot result.
The yes vote means the BID's work, which also includes events such as fashion shows and dog shows, the Harrogate Gift Card, street art and targeted free parking, will continue.
But will Mr Chapman? His departure for a managerial role at North Yorkshire Council was announced last year before her performed a U-turn and stayed. He says:
Harrogate 'vibrant — but needs big brands'
Mr Chapman previously worked for BIDs in Leeds and Huddersfield but says "coming to Harrogate was like going from the second division to the premier league" because of the town's prestige. He says:
Harrogate, he says, is vibrant and people have a lot of pride in it, adding shop vacancy rates are below average and footfall is above average for a town of its size.
But he says the town centre "could do with some big brands" and some parts, such as Cambridge Street, are "looking tired and could do with a makeover" although he adds Harrogate's affluent reputation makes it harder to win bids for regeneration funding.
Which brings us to the £11.9 million Station Gateway scheme — is he for or against?
'Tired' looking Cambridge Street
Mr Chapman displays a nifty rugby player's sidestep by asserting the BID's neutrality. Some retailers oppose the loss of parking spaces and part-pedestrianisation on James Street, while some hospitality businesses think it would encourage cafe culture, he says.
Mr Chapman commutes in daily from York, where he was born, to the three-strong BID team's Victoria Shopping Centre office.
Its term two income is set to fall from £540,000 a year to £485,000 a year, mainly because the council's latest reassessment of rateable values took more businesses below the levy threshold.
But Mr Chapman is confident his team will continue to delight and keep members happy.
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