Hereford Business Improvement District

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Hereford Business Improvement District Welcome to the official page of the Hereford Business Improvement District. Hereford BID is led by businesses, for businesses.

Working to enhance, develop and promote our truly distinctive city for the benefit of our members. Hereford BID Ltd is a not-for-profit private company representing 500 businesses across the city centre. Currently in its 2nd term (2020-2025), Hereford BID is delivering a Business Plan of key projects and schemes voted for by its members. Our board of directors are members and stakeholders representing a variety of sectors in Hereford and who direct the operational team members to deliver BID projects and support businesses day-to-day.

Hereford BID Launches ShopWatch Scheme to Tackle Shoplifting and Anti-Social BehaviourWe are proud to announce the launc...
15/10/2026

Hereford BID Launches ShopWatch Scheme to Tackle Shoplifting and Anti-Social Behaviour

We are proud to announce the launch of ShopWatch, a new shop banning scheme designed to tackle shoplifting and anti-social behaviour in Hereford city centre.

Created by us at Hereford BID, in partnership with independent and national retailers and West Mercia Police, the scheme allows participating businesses to collectively ban offenders under one clear message: “Banned from one, banned from all.”

Working closely with our city centre retailers and the Police, we want to send a strong message that shoplifting and anti-social behaviour will not be tolerated in Hereford.

Anyone caught engaging in these activities could face serious consequences, including a one-year ban from participating businesses, alongside any legal action considered appropriate.

Through ShopWatch, images of individuals subject to a ban can also be securely shared among participating city centre businesses, helping retailers identify offenders and prevent them from entering their premises.

Ryan Dorn, Project Lead at Hereford BID, explains:

“We want people to ask themselves whether it is really worth it. By working together, we can create a safer and more welcoming environment for our businesses, their staff and everyone visiting Hereford city centre.”

Sergeant Duncan Reynolds from West Mercia Police also welcomed the initiative, highlighting how the scheme demonstrates a united front in protecting local businesses. Alongside police action, which may include prosecution where appropriate, ShopWatch provides an additional deterrent to potential offenders.

Our commitment to a safer Hereford

At Hereford BID, we are committed to supporting our businesses and making Hereford city centre a safer, more enjoyable place to work, shop and visit.

ShopWatch is another important step in strengthening our partnership with local retailers and West Mercia Police, helping us work together to protect our city centre.

For further information about the ShopWatch programme, please contact Ryan Dorn, Security Lead at Hereford BID.

Image caption: Representatives of Team Hereford, from left to right: West Mercia Police, Hereford BID, Maylords, The Children’s Bookshelf, The Entertainer, Sports Direct and Flannels.

15/10/2026

We have something exciting coming to Hereford City this Christmas. This is a reminder to all BID members to fill out your order form for the Christmas trees, or email us at [email protected] to order!

This is exclusively for Hereford City BID members and the order deadline is the 31st of October! So don’t miss out and help us bring festive spirit to Hereford this Christmas!

📊 Understand the week. Plan the next.Hereford BID’s weekly footfall reports help our member businesses understand what i...
12/10/2026

📊 Understand the week. Plan the next.

Hereford BID’s weekly footfall reports help our member businesses understand what is happening in the city centre and put their own trading experience into context.

Last week’s national figures showed footfall generally down across towns and cities, while shopping centres recorded an increase. This wider picture helps members assess whether changes in trade reflect local conditions or broader consumer trends.

What is becoming increasingly clear is that consumers are not necessarily spending less time in physical destinations, but are becoming far more deliberate about when and where they visit. With fuel and energy costs putting pressure on household budgets, and attention turning towards the Autumn Budget, households may be prioritising trips that meet multiple needs in a single visit.

This could help explain the resilience of retail parks, while destinations relying more on discretionary visits face greater pressure. For Hereford, it reinforces the value of combining shopping, food, services and experiences in one visit.

Our weekly reports help members understand these changing patterns and make informed decisions about staffing, opening hours and promotions.

📩 A Hereford BID member and not receiving the reports? Get in touch.

🚦 IMPORTANT NOTICE: COMMERCIAL ROAD & BLUESCHOOL STREET JUNCTION IMPROVEMENTS 🚧Improvement works are set to begin at the...
11/10/2026

🚦 IMPORTANT NOTICE: COMMERCIAL ROAD & BLUESCHOOL STREET JUNCTION IMPROVEMENTS 🚧

Improvement works are set to begin at the Commercial Road and Blueschool Street junction in Hereford from Monday 12th October until Friday 4th December 2026.

These essential works will see upgraded traffic lights, improved pedestrian crossings and new technology installed to create a safer, more reliable and accessible junction for everyone.

🚗 What you need to know:

📅 12th October – 4th December: The junction will remain open during the main works, with temporary three-way traffic lights in place.

⛔ 20th & 21st October, 7am–5pm: Commercial Street and Union Street will be closed to allow new pedestrian crossing facilities to be installed safely.

📦 Local businesses: Temporary traffic arrangements may affect deliveries, servicing and customer access. Businesses are encouraged to plan ahead and consider alternative arrangements where necessary.

💙 HEREFORD IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS!

While some temporary disruption is expected, our fantastic city centre businesses remain ready to welcome you! Please continue to shop local and support our city centre throughout the improvements.

For the latest updates, follow Herefordshire Highways or visit the Herefordshire Council website.

08/10/2026

🌱✨ WEEDING OUT THE PROBLEM, ONE STREET AT A TIME!

We’re on a mission to keep Hereford looking its best! 💚

Hereford BID has recently invested in a brand-new Weedy Pro, a specialist machine designed to tackle those pesky weeds growing across our city centre streets! 🌿

Our hardworking BID Handymen will be making their way through 40 streets across Hereford city centre, helping to keep our streets cleaner, tidier and more welcoming for everyone who visits, shops and works here! 🏙️

📍 Are you a Hereford BID member? You can also request de-weeding outside your business premises!

It’s all part of our ongoing commitment to making Hereford shine, one street at a time! ✨

✨ Making Hereford shine… even the bins! ✨Our Hereford BID handymen have been busy giving the bins along Commercial Road ...
07/10/2026

✨ Making Hereford shine… even the bins! ✨

Our Hereford BID handymen have been busy giving the bins along Commercial Road a much-needed clean-up! 🧹🗑️

It might be one of the less glamorous jobs, but it’s the little things that make a big difference. Keeping our city centre clean, tidy and welcoming is all part of what we do to support our businesses and create a better environment for everyone who works, visits and spends time in Hereford. 💚

A big thank you to our hardworking handymen for getting stuck in and helping to keep Hereford looking its best!
Hereford Times MyHereford Your Herefordshire

Today Hereford BID has signed an open letter to the Chancellor regarding Business Rates. Together, with hundreds of othe...
06/10/2026

Today Hereford BID has signed an open letter to the Chancellor regarding Business Rates. Together, with hundreds of other BIDs and business organisations across the country, we are pushing for meaningful change on behalf of our members:

Dear Chancellor,

The Hybrid Business Rate Proposal – Fixing a broken and unsustainable business rates system

I am writing on behalf of the Real Rates Reform Alliance, a coalition that includes UKHospitality, the Institute of Directors, the Association of Town and City Management, the Music Venue Trust, the British Independent Retailers Association and Heart of London Business Alliance.

Across the UK, too many towns and cities are being held back from realising their economic potential. In 2024 alone, almost 13,000 shops closed (around 37 every day), as rising costs continued to outpace growth. Businesses that invest in communities create jobs, drive productivity and sustain local economies, yet the current business rates system places a disproportionate burden on those businesses, while an increasing share of economic activity now takes place online without making a proportional contribution to the tax base.

Against this backdrop, we welcomed the recent announcement by the Prime Minister to cut business rates for pubs, clubs and live music venues. However, while this decision recognises some of the inadequacies within the current business rates system, it is not the fundamental change required to fix this broken system once and for all. We believe this moment now presents a unique opportunity to go further and create a business tax system that fixes the current regime’s fundamental imbalances, support firms across all sectors and drive investment in communities and long-term economic growth.

For more than two decades, governments of all colours have sought to reform business rates through new reliefs, exemptions and differential multipliers for individual sectors. While often well-intentioned, this piecemeal approach has produced an excessively complex set reliefs and special provisions that picks winners and losers without ever fixing the underlying problem. The result is a fundamentally flawed system that is harder to understand, less economically rational and increasingly disconnected from the way the modern economy operates.

The next phase of business rates reform should build upon sector-specific interventions and modernise the system itself. The tax system should better reflect where economic activity takes place.

We therefore urge you to consider a fundamental reset, of the sort Labour promised in opposition.

We believe the Hybrid Business Rate is the comprehensive reform that this moment requires. It combines a lower property-based business rate with a modest levy on eligible online sales across the economy. The levy would be collected through the existing tax system, using an established administrative mechanism that minimises additional costs for businesses and government. Broadening the tax base in this way would generate sufficient revenue to reduce business rates by up to 37%, while maintaining sustainable funding for local government. Carefully designed exemptions would ensure that the levy applies only to eligible online sales, protects small businesses and continues to support investment in physical places and experiences.

A Hybrid Business Rate is more than a reform of business rates. It is a modern fiscal framework designed for today's economy, one that supports investment and provides combined authorities with a broader and more resilient tax base to underpin devolution, infrastructure, and long-term place-based growth.

Britain has spent three decades adjusting business rates instead of resolving their fundamental flaws. The time has come to modernise this broken system.

We call on you to seize this opportunity to create a business tax system that is simpler, fairer, more sustainable, and better aligned with the economy of the future.

🎄 Christmas Late Night Parking ConfirmedWe’re pleased to share that Herefordshire Council confirmed to us on Saturday th...
05/10/2026

🎄 Christmas Late Night Parking Confirmed

We’re pleased to share that Herefordshire Council confirmed to us on Saturday that three late-night shopping dates will go ahead this Christmas.

We’re still waiting for the full details, but understand this is likely to mean the three Wednesdays leading up to Christmas. We expect to know more this week and will update businesses as soon as everything is confirmed.

Hereford BID has been working closely on this issue for some time, raising the views of city-centre businesses and sharing data to help support the case for a Christmas parking offer that gives businesses confidence to plan staffing, opening hours and festive activity.

We’re therefore very pleased that the Council has been able to support three late-night shopping dates this year, and we appreciate the pressures involved in making these decisions.

🎄 Please also note that the city’s main Christmas lights switch-on will take place in High Town on Sunday 22 November. Further details will follow from Hereford City Council.

We’ll share the confirmed parking dates and arrangements as soon as we receive them.

Christmas Late Night Parking at Risk - Statement from Hereford Business Improvement District:For the past two years, Her...
02/10/2026

Christmas Late Night Parking at Risk - Statement from Hereford Business Improvement District:

For the past two years, Hereford BID has repeatedly asked Herefordshire Council for early confirmation of the Christmas parking arrangements, raising concerns from both our businesses and the BID itself about the need to plan staffing, opening hours and Christmas activity well in advance.

Historically, free late-night parking has been provided for up to five Wednesdays before Christmas. We also recognise that shopping habits have changed, with the busiest Christmas period now tending to fall closer to Christmas itself, and we have provided data to the Council to help inform its decision.

Despite further evidence being submitted in September, we have been advised that the arrangements are still being considered.

We fully appreciate the financial pressures facing the Council and recognise that difficult decisions have to be made. However, our role is to champion the interests of city-centre businesses, and we have consistently pressed for a much earlier and clearer decision so everyone can plan with confidence.

The continuing uncertainty is now directly affecting Christmas delivery. Businesses are still asking us what the arrangements will be, while the BID has had to delay printing its own Christmas promotional material because we cannot yet confirm the parking offer. At this stage, it is also too late for us to responsibly commit resources to organising entertainment across the late-night Wednesdays.

This is not the position we wanted to be in, particularly after raising the issue repeatedly over the last two years.

We will therefore focus our Christmas resources where we believe they can have the greatest impact, particularly the weekend before Christmas, creating a strong programme of activity to attract visitors and support city-centre businesses.

We will update you as soon as the Council confirms its position.

Hereford BID

🌸 What a blooming summer it’s been! 🌸After a long and colourful season, our hanging baskets will begin to be taken down ...
29/09/2026

🌸 What a blooming summer it’s been! 🌸

After a long and colourful season, our hanging baskets will begin to be taken down from the week commencing 12th October.

A huge shoutout and thank you to our brilliant handymen, who have worked throughout the summer to keep our hanging baskets hydrated during such an incredibly dry season! ☀️💧

Thanks to their hard work and care, we’ve enjoyed one of our biggest and best blooms yet, bringing colour to our displays all summer long. 🌺🌿

Thank you for another fantastic season – we’re already looking forward to doing it all again next year!

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Hereford Town Hall
Hereford
HR12PJ

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