NEWPORT Now BID has been recognised for its high standards and received a coveted national accreditation for Business Improvement Districts.

The BID Foundation’s Industry Standards was awarded to Newport Now, which represents almost 600 businesses in the city centre, in recognition of its standards of transparency and responsible governance, following an independent review process.

The BID Foundation has developed the Industry Standards for all BIDs with input from the UK and Welsh governments and other national bodies.

The standards highlight information and documentation that should be made publicly accessible and easily identifiable by every BID and are independently accredited by the Institute of Place Management.

Newport Now has passed the Industry Standards accreditation by demonstrating high standards on a range of issues including its business plan, governance mechanisms and reporting, directors and personal interests, and detail on ballot results.

Newport Now BID manager Kevin Ward said: “We are absolutely delighted to have received this important accreditation, which shows we meet the highest standards set for BIDs across the UK.

“While we have had the majority of the 11 industry standards in place for some years, we thought it was important to have this accreditation as a formal, independently-assessed recognition of the work we do on behalf of our members.

“As we are about to start the process leading to a ballot of city centre businesses in November that will determine whether Newport Now receives support for a further BID term of five years covering the period 2025 to 2030, we felt it was important to demonstrate to businesses that we follow recommended best practices.

“This recognition comes after a thorough independent review process, which underscores our commitment to transparency and best practices.”

The review process is conducted by The BID Foundation, which is delivered with the support of the Institute of Place Management, the professional body for place managers and leaders, based at Manchester Metropolitan University.

Matthew Davis, director at the BID Foundation and the Institute of Place Management, said: “This is a crucial piece of work to support BIDs. The Industry Standards further demonstrate the professionalism of BIDs that adopt them, and of the wider sector, which has stepped forward through the pandemic and now during recovery to provide support to thousands of local businesses.”