THE final Minehead BID Business Plan has been produced and is being delivered to 245 Minehead business voters.

It follows months of consultation and a presentation by the BID (Business Improvement District) steering group at the end of January.

The plan, which will last for five years, includes many of the ideas and suggestions that the Minehead business community has made.

It includes a comprehensive marketing plan, including a website and a free business directory for all BID members, and digital promotion.

It will also provide a range of high profile events that aim to put Minehead on the map.

Ideas include a 1950s’ festival to celebrate Minehead’s hey day as a popular seaside resort. Christmas festive events will be a major feature of the BID plan.

An important strand of the BID Plan is to provide an opportunity for businesses to work together to reduce their overheads through collective purchasing for services such as commercial waste collection, insurances and training.

BIDs elsewhere have used their power to make sure that business people are heard, and the ‘voice’ of 245 businesses in Minehead will be led by a management board in a position to influence policy and delivery of services.

At the end of March, each business in the BID area will be sent a ballot paper, inviting them to vote on the BID Business Plan by April 26. It is a simple ‘yes/no’ choice.

For the BID to go ahead, there has to be a majority vote in favour both by number and rateable value. This scheme will last until 2023, when business will have a chance to vote to renew the BID for another five years.