Three months later task group echoes Roodhouse’s conclusion on Rugby First (BID)

Three months ago Cllr Jerry Roodhouse (Lib Dem, Paddox) created a bit of a storm locally when he suggested that Rugby First, the company that runs Rugby's Business Improvement District (BID) lacked "transparency".

Writing in the Rugby Observer (3 December 2014) Cllr Roodhouse said that he would like Rugby First to be more transparent as it was unclear from the accounts what BID levy payers are paying for.

His comments are now effectively repeated by the Council's task group on Rugby's BID. For example they say "The task group was not able to make an evidenced assessment of whether or not the Council receives value for money from its investment in Rugby First". (Rugby Borough Council spends about £300,000 a year on the BID). The task group continued to say that it remained "unclear as to what proportion of the [town centre's] CCTV costs are funded, respectively, by the Council and Rugby First".

The task group has made four key recommendations:

- That the borough council should develop a strategy for the town centre [not before time]

- That the town needs a clear marketing strategy

- That the Borough Council should have success measures so as it can see what it is getting from the BID

- That the financial arrangements of the BID should be clarified

The task group's report will be considered by the Council's cabinet this evening (9 March 2015).

For Cllr Roodhouse's original article see http://www.therugbyobserver.co.uk/2014/12/04/news-Rugby-town-centre-firm-under-fire-during-review-122394.html .

For some problems with Rugby First's accounts see http://rugbylibdems.org.uk/en/article/2014/0974145/what-rugby-first-s-accounts-don-t-tell-us .