WITH the ballot set to open tomorrow, Altrincham BID’s chairman has pledged to put the town’s office sector at the ‘heart’ of the proposal.

Martin Duff, owner of Randalls Jewellers and chair of the BID steering group, said the office sector makes up approximately 30 per cent of businesses within the Altrincham BID boundary.

He added that many projects in the BID Business Plan have been specifically identified to benefit the ‘business to business’ (B2B) community.

These include a joint procurement initiative to reduce business costs, sharing expertise to mentor new and early-stage businesses, a focus on staff parking solutions, and improving the town centre environment to encourage staff recruitment and retention.

Last month, concerns about the benefit of the BID to the B2B community were raised at a meeting of the Altrincham’s businesses at the town hall.

Martin said: “The office sector is a key element of Altrincham’s business community and we have worked hard to ensure that their needs and ambitions are included in the BID Business Plan.

“B2B is well represented on the BID steering group, with members from legal, banking, property and design services, as well as the CEO of the Altrincham and Sale Chamber of Commerce Sue Aldridge.

“In the event of a successful vote, the office sector will be very much at the heart of Altrincham’s BID and we would encourage these businesses to get involved.”

A Business Improvement District (BID) is a defined area where businesses come together to collectively invest to improve their trading environment. Around 540 businesses are within the Altrincham BID boundary.

All eligible businesses will receive voting forms tomorrow, Friday October 9, with the ballot remaining open until Thursday November 5.