Brief History of the BID

In November 2007 several interested parties from local business and other organisations discussed the potential benefits of bringing a Business Improvement District to Boston with a view to tackling various issues that it was felt were hampering the development of business within the town.
A lengthy consultation process followed with a great deal of information being disseminated by way of open meetings, mail shots, questionnaires and visits to every business premises likely to be affected by the implementation of a Business Improvement District. The consultation process ended in October 2008 when a postal ballot, run by the Electoral Reform Service, was undertaken.

The ballot was successful and in December 2008 Boston BID came into being.

The Company

A new company was formed to operate the Business Improvement District. The company was incorporated on 29th January 2009 under the name of Boston BID Limited. The company is a private company limited by shares incorporated in England and Wales with registration number 6805381. The registered office is at Commerce House, Outer Circle Road, Lincoln, LN2 4HY and the trading address is Boston Business Centre, Norfolk Street, Boston, Lincs. PE21 9HH.

The authorised share capital of the company is 1,000 shares of £1.00 and is split into 3 classes of shares:
900 A Shares of £1.00, these are known as members shares and every business in the BID area receives a share certificate to acknowledge their membership. Payment for the share is taken from the first £1.00 paid via the statutory BID levy. This type of share can only vote on members directors being appointed to the board of directors.

50 B Shares of £1.00, these are known as founder shares and are distributed to founder members. Founder members may also be ordinary members. This type of share can only vote on founders representatives being appointed to the board of directors.
 
50 C Shares of £1.00. These shares have all the voting rights of the company and at present the only C share issued is to Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce and Industry.  

Founder Members

The following businesses and organisations are founder members of Boston BID Ltd:

The Board of Directors


The board of directors has representation from members and founder members and Lincolnshire Chamber. The maximum number of directors allowed is 12 and currently there are 9 serving directors. The articles of association require 5 directors to be present to form a quorum. The current directors are as follows:

Alan Ellis - Harmony Music - Member director

A well known local businessman who owns and runs Harmony Music in West Street. Alan has always been a Champion for the businesses in West Street and is continuing that tradition by volunteering as a director of Boston BID Ltd.

Jenny Brewster –Timothy Guy - Member director

Jenny is also well known in Boston and originally voted against the introduction of the BID. She was persuaded to join the board of directors to ensure that a balance of views would be represented at board meetings. Jenny has always been available to members and has provided valuable insight and advice to the board of directors.

Steve Goulder – Chamber director

A previous Chairman of the Board of Directors . Steve brings a mass of experience and local knowledge to the board and has spent a great deal of his own time resolving various issues that arose in 2010.

Ian Martin – BostonBorough Council - Founder director

Although the BID is not a Borough Council run organisation it is pleased to have the support of Boston Borough Council and that an officer of the Council has been appointed to represent the Borough Council on the board of directors. Ian is very active as a director and provides invaluable advice and support.

David Cubberley – Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce - Chamber director

David Cubberley is the second director appointed by Lincolnshire Chamber to represent that body on the board of directors. Having lived and worked in Boston for many years David brings a wealth of local knowledge and commonsense to the BID board.

Iwona Lebeidowicz – PAB Translation Centre - Member director

Originally from Poznan, Iwona speaks 3 languages, and is the managing director of PAB Translation Centre in Boston. Her interests are languages and the study of cultural differences. Iwona brings a wealth of business experience and linguistic expertise to the BID board.


Peter Coleman - Boston Stump - Founder director

Peter is responsible for implementing fund raising projects for St. Botolphs church and his inclusion on the board of directors provides the BID with strong links into Boston's premier tourist attraction. The BID is pleased to work closely with "The Stump" to promote Boston to a wider audience.



Martin Puttick - Lincolnshire Co-operative - Founder director

As the representative for Lincolnshire Co-operative Martin helps to bring the ideals of that organisation to the BID. Again the BID is pleased to have such strong links with an organisation that has done much to promote community involvement.



Paul Sharpe - Member director

Paul was appointed by members at the last General Meeting and has been responsible for the introduction of the BID newsletter and the use of Twitter and Facebook as additional communication channels for the BID to provide information on its progress.