BRADFORD Business Improvement District (BID) has become one of the first in the country to achieve prestigious recognition for its high standards – despite being only two years old.

To date, only 10 BIDs – out of more than 330 nationwide – have been awarded The BID Foundation’s kitemark, which has been developed in consultation with BIDs, levy-payer groups and policy-makers, including the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government, to provide a benchmark for quality and governance.

Jonny Noble, Bradford BID manager, said: “We’re incredibly proud to be awarded this recognition, especially as we’ve only been in operation for two years. The first seven BIDs to achieve it were well-established organisations that took part in an initial pilot so, in effect, Bradford is one of the first three to have got there under our own steam. So we’re enormously pleased that all that hard work has been recognised and the industry itself has rated our achievements to date so highly.”

The BID Foundation’s Industry Standards were launched in December 2020 to help increase the transparency, accountability and professionalism of the industry and are designed to drive and embed best practice across the sector. They include 11 tests for BIDs, ranging from how easy the BID is to contact and to access information from, to important measures to ensure they are public and transparent.

The Standards cover key aspects of a BID’s structure and operations including its business plan, governance and reporting, directors and personal interests, and detail on ballot results. They have been introduced as a result of recommendations made following recent research into the BID sector and its development in the UK.

To win accreditation, BIDs must pass a rigorous assessment process, completed independently by the Institute of Place Management (IPM). Following submission of evidence from BIDs, an audit is completed to ensure a BID’s online presence and information on its structures and processes meet the Industry Standards. The process normally involves feedback and suggested revisions in order to become compliant with the standards, with further audits undertaken on additional evidence provided by each BID. The kitemark is awarded for a 12-month period, with compliance reviewed after this time to ensure continuing transparency and quality in the sector.

Bradford BID chairman Ian Ward, who is also general manager of The Broadway shopping centre, said winning the accreditation at such an early stage, and with the pandemic going on throughout half of the BID’s existence, was a “remarkable accomplishment.”

Mr Ward said: “It’s a fantastic achievement by Jonny Noble and his small-but-perfectly-formed team. They have worked extremely hard to achieve this, both before and during lockdown, and it’s a real testament to their determination to do the right thing for Bradford and it’s often hard-pressed businesses. We are also blessed with an enormously supportive and engaged operating board, who play a really active role in overseeing the running of the BID and ensuring that we maintain high standards at all times. We have very high attendance at all our monthly board meetings – far more so than with other BIDs I have worked with – and it really shows in the quality of our work and the ideas and imagination invested in everything we have achieved to date. It’s still early days for Bradford BID and, even though our third year has begun in difficult circumstances with the national lockdown, I am very confident that this accreditation will put an extra spring in our step and the city centre will reap the benefits when the restrictions are eased and we can all start getting properly back on our feet.”

A BRADFORD school’s rugby union teams are taking on their very own unique 8,000 mile trek.

Bradford Grammar School are big on the sport, with former Bulls and Bradford Salem man Glenn Morrison among the coaching staff there. And with a senior tour to South Africa on the horizon once Covid restrictions are over, the school thought they’d get there early…sort of.

YORKSHIRE Building Society has been crowned High Street Provider of the Year for both mortgages and savings, after consumers at the 2021 Moneyfacts Consumer Awards.

The Bradford-based mutual took the top awards in the two categories at the annual event, which aims to give the UK’s millions of customers a chance to reflect how they feel about the range of products available to them.

Award winners were chosen based on customer feedback from more than 130,000 consumers.  The society was also highly commended in the First Time Mortgage Buyers’ Choice award and commended in the ISA Provider of the Year category.

Chris Irwin, director of mortgages at Yorkshire Building Society, said: “Our purpose has always been to help people build financial resilience and to own their own home – these two awards demonstrate we continue to do that, successfully, more than 150 years after we started.” 

BUSINESS owners have been warned the economy will “get worse before it gets better” in a gloomy forecast by the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Rishi Sunak made the grim statement during a speech in the House of Commons yesterday outlining his economic plan for the coming weeks.  He said he can’t protect every job and business; in Bradford 1,300 businesses are at risk of going bust and 12,000 workers could be out of jobs, research last month warned.  He said: “Even with the significant economic support we’ve provided, over 800,000 people have lost their job since February. And while the new national restrictions are necessary to control the spread of the virus, they will have a further significant economic impact. We should expect the economy to get worse before it gets better. Sadly, we have not and will not be able to save every job and every business. But I am confident that our economic plan is supporting the finances of millions of people and businesses.

THE long-standing chief executive of social housing provider Incommunities is to retire at the end of the month, after nearly two decades at its helm. 

Geraldine Howley has served the social housing sector for more than 40 years, starting her career as a temporary housing receptionist with Bradford Council in the late 1970s, when she was based at Jacob’s Well. It was a career she fell into by chance after initially providing maternity cover, but it marked the start of a lengthy journey which would see her take on a number of high-profile roles in the district and receive an OBE in 2017 for services to housing, young people and the local community. She said: “I just loved the people side, the fact that you could help people and try and make a difference to people’s lives by helping them into decent quality housing. I just loved everything about it.” Geraldine worked her way up to becoming a housing officer, which at the time was very much a ‘man’s world’ and what she described as a “baptism of fire”.

KINDHEARTED Incommunities staff raised £2,817 for the Cellar Trust following a prize raffle. More than 200 gifts were donated by suppliers and contractors of the Shipley-based housing group.

Every year, staff with the Asset Management Service organise a prize draw in support of a different charity and this time they raised the highest amount they’ve ever done. The money will go towards the Cellar Trust’s mental health services which support people across Bradford, Airedale, Wharfedale and Craven. The charity provides tailored support to help local people move forward in their lives and unfortunately, they have seen the pandemic bring extra pressures on their vital services.

WORK to demolish eight blocks of flats and change Bradford city centre’s skyline is due to start tomorrow, 10 December.

A 62 metre tall, 140 tonne excavating machine has been brought in ahead of the demolition of flat blocks just outside the city centre off Manchester Road. Thomas Crompton, which is carrying out the work, had to escort the Hitachi high reach machine into the city in four parts, and it has been assembled on site ready to work. It will work alongside two other 80 tonne machines to pull down the flats to make way for a multi-million pound housing development.

Local contractors have been stripping out the Stuart, Tudor, Hapsburg, Windsor and Bolingbroke Court blocks, and the 13-storey flats are set to be demolished over the coming weeks. Work will then begin again in the New Year to tear down the three Y-shaped blocks nearby – Ashton House, Osmond House and Taunton House. All debris and materials from the demolitions is being recycled into hardcore for roads and construction. Once the flats are gone, work can begin on building more than 100 family homes on the site.

Geraldine Howley, chief executive of Incommunities Group, said: “These blocks have been home to thousands of people over the years but sadly in recent years have proved difficult to re-let despite our best efforts. This really is a significant moment and the opportunity to make a big step towards delivering a prestigious development of much needed family homes fit for the 21st century.”

Rupert Pometsey, Incommunities’ director of development and growth, is overseeing the demolition programme. He said: “It’s great to see these specialist excavators move onto site as we get to the ‘business end’ of the demolitions of these blocks. Over the next few weeks it promises to be quite a sight as the structures come down and we look forward to a new beginning for the community. We have planning approval in place and are now finalising plans to deliver a landmark development that will be a catalyst for the revitalisation of the area.”

Angela Perry, Incommunities’ assistant chief executive, for asset management, added: “We are all really excited about building a new future at Manchester Road. There has been a significant change in the type of homes people want and it’s about providing the right housing in the right place. We are committed to regenerating the area with a development that  provides attractive affordable homes within easy access to the city centre.”

THE University of Bradford’s student hardship fund is continuing to rise after raising £5,000 in the first day.

The Covid-19 Hardship Fund Appeal for students, launched on December 3, was a response from the University’s Money Team who saw a 107 per cent increase in applications for its hardship funding from students at the University. One of the first donors was retired Bradford pharmacist Manoj Joshi, pictured, who pledged £500. A Past District Governor of Rotary International, he is an honorary graduate of the University, Deputy Lieutenant of West Yorkshire and founding Chairman of Bradford Academy. Speaking about his donation, the former Ugandan refugee, who came to the UK in 1972, said: “I made a donation because I know what it’s like to have nothing. It’s so important to support people who are in that situation. It sends a powerful message and I urge others who can to do the same.”

Money raised will be used to support some of the poorest students, many of whom have little or no other means of financial income other than working part time – something many have been unable to do during lockdown.

The money could help a student eat a healthy meal and cover the cost of food, pay for their heating bill or allow them to pay their rent.

THE Broadway has scooped two coveted Purple Apple merit awards for campaigns run by the shopping centre that brought the community together.

The ‘Eid Celebration Weekend’ and the ‘We are Bradford’ week-long activity were both commended by the only award body that recognises and rewards effective retail destination marketing within the UK retail property sector.

Ian Ward, general manager at The Broadway, said: “2020 has certainly brought its fair share of challenges to communities across the world and to a huge cross-section of industries. The retail sector in particular has had to adapt, flex and bounce back; at The Broadway we’ve focused on providing a safe space for the people of Bradford and surrounding regions to shop in and our staff to work in.

Broadway Eid Celebration Week

“The merits for the two campaigns run in 2019 really showcase the hard work put into the events we hold, which unfortunately we haven’t been able to implement in 2020. Eid is such an important celebration in Bradford and we wanted to mark the event by showcasing the city’s wealth of diverse culture.

“The ‘We Are Bradford’ activity put the city on the national news agenda – it was designed to dispel misconceptions of Bradford and we did that by creating a hub to capture ‘real’ news from across the region.

“The Purple Apple merits are a sweetener as we draw close to 2020 and I’m delighted The Broadway has been recognised in these prestigious awards.”

The Eid celebration weekend injected an explosion of colour and culture into the shopping centre and was designed to celebrate

Broadway BBC We Are Bradford

Bradford’s diverse culture and raise awareness of Eid through free fun activities and entertainment. Henna artists, an arts and crafts area and dance performances from The Punjab Bhangra Crew encouraged the whole family to attend.

The heart of the We Are Bradford campaign was about creating conversations between the people of Bradford and the BBC.

It was a first-of its kind experiment delivered by BBC News and BBC Yorkshire and supported and implemented by The Broadway.

The Purple Apple awards acknowledge high standards and shows that retail destination marketing is effective and provides excellent value for money. The awards also reflect how marketers have to constantly adjust to changing times, from ensuring their budget goes further and works harder, driving retailer sales and harnessing new initiatives including digital marketing.

DAMART UK has confirmed that its Bingley contact centre has experienced an outbreak of COVID-19, forcing staff to now work from home.

In a statement, the business – based at Bowling Green Mills on Lime Street – says it is following all government guidance, as well as listening to advice from Bradford Council and Public Health England.