Maarten Hoffmann: Great to see you again, Wendy. Before we discuss the BID, tell us a little more about yourself.

Wendy Bell: I am Crawley born and bred, so running the BID felt spot-on for me, to give something back to the town. Before that, l was running a small business on behalf of a group of other companies, making books of remembrance for churches and crematoria; a very niche business.

Before that, l was with Sussex Enterprise and the Sussex Chamber of Commerce and did everything from Events Manager to General Manager. It was a turbulent time with so many changes going on at the time that I made myself redundant but we steadied the ship and then handed it over to Ana Christie.

I love working with local businesses and helping them grow. It’s why this role appealed to me – helping so many diverse local businesses while giving something back to my home town.

It enables me to listen to what businesses want and then have a small part to play with the powers that be in making that happen. It also allows me some control over the future of our town for the benefit of all - businesses and residents alike.

MH: What sort of town centre do you think people want?

WB: That’s quite a complex question. The top priorities would be making the town centre safer, wanting the centre to be enlivened, with more things to do for all the family - essentially, more things to draw people into the town. They wanted the businesses to be more connected and wanted Crawley to be a town they could all be proud of.

For the past three and a half years, we have been working very hard on those objectives.

MH: And what do you feel you have achieved?

WB: We have certainly made the town safer with the use of our ambassadors; they have been a real asset to central Crawley. The ambassadors have been a great success. They have recovered over £120,000 worth of stolen retailer stock, prevented at least three suicide attempts and been absolutely outstanding.

Of all the things in the BID, that is one of the things I am most proud of. We have more ambassadors in training, and l hope to expand the scheme in 2025.

The events we have created, such as Creepy Crawley month, have helped the town centre to buck the trend across the whole of the UK with a 23% increase in footfall. That’s another thing I am very proud of. It demonstrates that fun events benefit all businesses in the town as well as the residents.

We already attract over 15 million visitors a year. Our nearest like-for-like town is Horsham, which attracts 10 million visitors a year. So an extra five million people per year is a considerable increase.

MH: How does that help the premises vacancy rate as it is dropping across the country?

WB: I am delighted to say it is quite a vibrant town centre and our retail vacancy rate dropped to 8.6% which is lower than the national average. We have a thriving town centre and we must get that message across. We also work hard on the look of the town.

For example, the huge mural on the side of the Marks & Spencer building was only supposed to be there for a few months but due to great reactions, it has now been there for three years. Rather than a blank concrete wall on the side of the car park, we now have creative artwork.

MH: Many towns are encouraging independent stores rather than depending on large chains. Will that work in Crawley?

WB: Absolutely. We are keen to encourage that and are seeing a rise in such stores. I would love to see some of our larger stores become home to a variety of independent retailers. That can greatly help independents to thrive and take over their own retail space as they grow in profitability.

MH: As Platinum is a Brighton-based company, I have to ask about that constant bugbear and deterrent to visiting the centre of Brighton; the exorbitant parking charges - it’s quite easy to spend £30 for half a day parking which for most people is a very real deterrent. I hope Crawley is not heading in that direction.

WB: I very much hope not. The council made the decision last year to make one of our largest car parks £2.50 all day and that has been very popular.

MH: Wow, that is very forward thinking - l think l might move to Crawley! But back to the BID: you have to run a vote on the next four years. What do you have to show or demonstrate for that vote?

WB: We have to lay out what we have achieved and the stats that support that; demonstrate business engagement
in the BID; the drop in vacancy rate is hugely positive and of course, the ambassador scheme. That scheme, as mentioned, has recovered over £120,000 worth of stolen merchandise, they walk over 30,000 steps per day so they are highly visible and often patrol with police officers.

We have connected with over 400 businesses and listened to their concerns. On top of the 100 new live events we have introduced, l want to do more as the effect has been proven and we have reached over 200,000 households with our message.

We work really well with other stakeholders, such as Manor Royal BID, Gatwick Diamond Business and Freedom Works. Together, we introduced the Third Wednesday Club for professional services to come together and network, and so much more.

MH: Your term as a BID is up shortly and you have to reapply to maintain the current status for the next four years. You had a 68% vote in favour in 2019. Are you hoping to increase that figure, especially after the work you’ve put in over these past four years?

WB: Of course, we would love it to increase, and we would encourage everyone to come out and vote. l am reasonably confident that we will win the BID again, thanks to the many things we have achieved.

MH: How is the BID funded?

WB: It’s funded by the businesses in the town centre paying a levy on their business rates of 1.75%. That’s all shops and businesses in the town centre, as long as they pay over £10,000 in business rates. Religious establishments such as churches and mosques are exempt. We also try to secure sponsorship for some of our events to top up our budget. Occasionally, money is available from central government but in the main, we are funded by local businesses. If their business rates are less than £10,000, they get all the benefits and pay nothing.

MH: Thank you, Wendy. I am very impressed. All I can say is that if my business was in the town, we would certainly vote in favour as it’s a win-win-win with no downside. That 1.75% equates to a cup of coffee a day, so it’s a bit of a no-brainer. I wish you the very best of luck and with a team of only three, it is remarkable what you have achieved.

WB: Thank you, Maarten. I hope to report back with positive news in the first week of March.