Bristol City Centre Business Improvement District (BID) is a business-led partnership of over 650 businesses, working together to make Bristol an even better place to live, work, and study.
Following a two-year consultation period, Bristol City Centre BID was mandated in 2017 and began its second term in 2022, following a successful ballot for another five-year term.
Bristol City Centre BID exists to introduce significant improvements for the benefit of levy paying businesses, to ensure our city centre is known for its safe, attractive, and welcoming look and feel, by all who spend time in the city.
Bristol BID will operate under the governance of Visit West.
Enhancing
Bristol City Centre BID delivers projects that attract investment and talent, create a greener, cleaner and more attractive city centre, bringing visitors, employees and residents back into the heart of the city.
Key activity for 2023-2024 included an additional 2,000 hours of street cleansing to enhance the area, public realm improvements across King Street, Park Street, and the Central Promenade, and work alongside Bristol Climate & Nature Partnership to support businesses tackling climate change.
Bristol City Centre BID continues to deliver and support city-wide initiatives including Bristol Light Festival, Old City Sounds, Bristol Harbour Festival, and Festival of Nature to boost footfall and encourage leisure time spent in our city. The BID also continues to deliver and develop annual winter lights and Christmas lights displays.
Promoting
The BID takes a collaborative approach to delivering innovative campaigns, events, activations, and communications to support and promote Bristol city centre and its businesses, celebrating everything that makes Bristol a special place to work, study and live.
In summer 2024, the summer campaign ‘Bristol is Always A Good Idea’ included the Bristol Light Festival artwork being hosted by businesses throughout the summer and a significant investment in paid print and online advertising to support and encourage visits to the city over the summer.
To date, the Love Bristol Gift Card initiative has kept over £180,000 of spend local, with over190 businesses now signed up to the scheme.
Delivered in partnership with Bristol City Centre BID, Bristol Cocktail Weekend is now an established event in the autumn calendar with a 3 year agreement in place.
Protecting
The BID invests to reduce, challenge and raise awareness of crime and antisocial behaviour to protect city centre businesses, visitors and residents both day and night.
The BID’s dedicated PCSO and Streetwise Intervention Officer continue to support businesses. Safer Business Action Days, Counter Terrorism Training and Night-time emergency first aid have also been coordinated to support businesses, and 100+ free radios continue to connect levy payers. In 2024, a new Business Crime Reduction Partnership (BCRP) Manager joined the team who coordinates a city-wide approach to tackling business crime.
The TAP for Bristol initiative supporting homelessness prevention in the city has raised and donated over £150,000 since its inception in 2019.
The BID continues to partner with Bristol Nights to ensure our city is a safe and welcoming space for all.
Supporting
The BID supports by acting as a single point of contact to represent levy payers, leverage investment, influence strategy and support the business community.
Key activity for 2023-2024 included generating an additional investment of over £60,000 through partnerships and grant funding to invest into work for businesses.
The BID provides a range of services including a free online training platform, lunchtime activities including yoga and regular bike servicing.
The BID provides free checks for business operating costs which have identified over £300,000 of savings to date.
Weekly footfall data and quarterly Visa spend is available on the BID website, enabling businesses to analyse their customer base and refine marketing campaigns.
The dedicated Business Liaison Manager engages with businesses to understand the needs and challenges in the ever-changing business landscape.
Following a successful ballot, Bristol Business Improvement District (BID) is due to commence on 1 November 2025 and will run until October 2030.
Find out more about the partners we work with and the projects we are involved in.
