Business Improvement District (BID) levy

Chichester City Centre Business improvement District (BID) Signed notice of results

Chichester City Centre Business improvement District (BID) Signed notice of results - November 2021 (Word doc, 63 KB)

How is the BID levy calculated?

The levy rate is calculated at 1.25% of it's rateable value. This is paid by each business property with a rateable value of £5,000 and over.

The rateable value is shown in the 2017 rating list which came into effect on 1 April 2017 (and not the 2023 rating list).

How to pay Business Improvement District (Bid) levy

If the annual bill is under £250.00 the amount due is payable in one instalment.

If the annual bill is £250.00 or higher the amount due is payable over a maximum of ten monthly instalments (depending on when your bill is sent) on the 15th of each month.

Pay Business Improvement District (Bid) levy online (opens new window)
Please ensure you have your BID levy account number (as shown on your bill) to quote.

You can also pay your bill/account in a number of other ways:

Direct debit

The most convenient way to pay the BID levy is by direct debit.

Please download the form from the link below. Once you have signed and completed it please post it direct to the council offices at East Pallant House. Confirmation of the amounts to be collected and the dates they are requested to you will be sent to you a minimum of ten working days in advance of the first payment being requested, or as otherwise agreed.

BID Levy direct debit form (PDF, 69 KB)

Debit card by telephone

Payment can be made using your debit card. Please call 01243 534880 to make a payment. Please ensure you have your BID levy account number as shown on your bill ready to quote. Please note you cannot pay your BID levy by credit card.

Bacs/internet banking

Please use the following Chichester District Council bank details:

Sort Code: 60-05-24
Bank account number: 26121220

Please ensure you quote the BID levy account number as shown on your latest bill.

What does the BID do?

The Chichester BID will seek to:

Improve the marketing and promotion of our city centre
Improve the organisation of our city centre
Improve the quality of the environment of our city centre
Improve the safety and security of our city centre, including support of the evening and night time economy

The Chichester District Council business rates team administer and collect the bid payments on behalf of the partnership.

Visit the Chichester BID website (opens new window)
If you have any questions relating to payment please contact the business rates team.

Recovery action

If the annual bill is under £250.00 the amount due is payable in one instalment. The recovery process is similar to business rates.

If you are experiencing any difficulty pay your BID levy please contact us so we can discuss your options. We want to help BID levy payers understand the process by which arrears will be recovered and to offer practical advice on what to do at each stage of the recovery process.

I've received a reminder, what happens now?

Payment of the BID levy is a legally enforceable debt and the council has numerous powers to recover any amounts that are not paid. You have previously been issued with a bill which detailed the amount to be paid and the dates on which payment was due. You have been sent a reminder because insufficient payments have been received on your business rates account.

The reminder notice details the amount by which your account is in arrears. In order to avoid any further proceedings the arrears should be paid in full within 7 days of the date of the reminder notice. It is important to ensure that all future payments are made on time to avoid further reminder notices being issued to you. Opting to pay by direct debit is the most convenient method of payment and offers the flexibility of four payment dates over either a 10 or 12 month payment period. Should you wish to take advantage of this method of payment please visit << insert pay your BID levy>> ensuring you have your bank account number and sort code available.

If you are unable to pay the amount in full as requested on the reminder notice please contact the taxation team immediately. We may be able to agree an alternative arrangement. All reasonable payment proposals will be considered.

If, after receiving a first reminder notice, your instalments once again fall into arrears, you will be sent a second reminder notice. This will be the last reminder that you receive during the financial year.

If you do not make full payment of the arrears within 7 days of the date of issue of the reminder notice, or contact the taxation team to discuss alternative arrangements, you will lose the right to pay the remainder of the balance on your account by monthly instalments. This means that the total balance shown on your reminder notice will be due within a further 7 days. If the balance is not paid in full as requested a magistrates court summons will be issued.

To stop this court action you should pay the amount shown on your summons in full, including the costs, before the court date.

I've received a Magistrates Court Summons, what happens now?

The magistrates court summons which has been sent to you details the balance on your account including the court fees that have been incurred. The notice also details the date on which the council will apply to the magistrates court for a liability order.

To stop this court action you should pay the amount shown on your summons in full, including the costs, before the court date.

If you can't pay the full amount before the court date, please get in touch with us straight away. We may be able to agree a special arrangement with you to spread your payments. This will not stop the court action and will include the court costs. As the matter is dealt with by the magistrates court no county court judgements will be made and your credit rating will not change as a result of this action.

You have the choice of whether to attend the liability order hearing or not. The hearing will go ahead in your absence unless you have already paid your account in full. If you choose to attend the hearing the magistrate will ask if you have a valid defence which will stop a liability order being granted. The defences that the magistrates will take into account before deciding to grant a liability order are shown below:

you have paid your business rates account and costs in full
you cannot be held responsible for the premises
you stopped being responsible for the premises during the period for which you have been charged
bankruptcy / liquidation proceedings have begun
the rate has been charged unlawfully
although you occupy only part of the premises in one assessment, you are being charged for the whole property
the application for the liability order was made more than 6 years after the first demand notice was issued

If you feel any of the above defences applies to you please contact the taxation team immediately in order that your account can be discussed in detail. Any necessary changes will be made as a result of the information you supply.

A liability order has been issued against me, what happens now?

If you make an arrangement with us to pay the amount you owe and you pay as agreed, no further action will be taken against you. If however you fail to pay the account in full, make alternative arrangements or fail to pay in line with an agreed arrangement, further action will be taken. We can;

refer your account to enforcement agents who will visit your premises in order to remove your goods to cover the amount you owe
apply for your bankruptcy / liquidation

How can I make a special arrangement to avoid further action?

Alternative payment arrangements can be discussed at any time. You do not have to wait until you are issued with a reminder notice or magistrates court summons.

If you are experiencing problems paying your BID levy please contact the taxation team immediately. All reasonable proposals will be considered, although we may need additional information regarding your financial situation before any arrangement is considered.

You are not legally obliged to provide this information but it will assist in calculating how much you can afford to pay.

Arrangements can be discussed with the taxation team on 01243 53450.

Recovery fees

You should be aware that once a summons has been issued and liability order obtained, and your account is then passed to an enforcement agent for further action, additional costs will be added to your account. It is therefore in your interests to make contact as early as possible:

Stage	Fee	Percentage fee
Notice of enforcement (instruction to take action)	£75.00 per liability order
First visit by an enforcement agent	fixed fee of £235.00	7.5% of any balance owed over £1,500.00
Sale and removal of goods	fixed fee of £110.00	7.5% of any balance owed over £1,500.00 plus reasonable storage and auctioneers fees