If you have received a court summons for non payment of the Wight BID bill this is because you have not paid your levy contribution in the last three months. We strongly advise you to pay your levy charge before Friday 27th January to avoid incurring court costs.

We wrote to you on a number of occasions before you were invited to vote for or against a business improvement district being created on the Island. We explained that Visit Isle of Wight would carry out the decision that the Industry made.

Between mid June and July 15th 2016 all those who would be affected by the levy were asked to vote on whether they wanted to introduce a statutory mechanism of ensuring that every visitor economy business with a rateable value of £3000 or more was legally obliged to pay into the annual fund.

Both Visit Isle of Wight and the IW Council mailed you final notification of the vote and what would be the consequences of the vote being passed. Of the 1020 visitor economy businesses entitled to vote, the majority of ballots cast were in favour of introducing the BID. The BID year started on the 1st September 2016.

The government specifies that any BID group must use their local council to collect the money from levy contributors. Visit Isle of Wight contracted with IWCouncil to collect the BID levy payments annually for the next five years. Under such agreements, IWCouncils normal collection procedures apply. Failure to pay a demand issued by IWCouncil is likely to result in court enforcement.

Now that summons have been issued to those remaining premises within the BID scope that haven’t yet paid, the matter has entered a legal process and we at Visit Isle of Wight have to let the courts decide as to the legal liability of those who haven’t yet paid.

Below is our statement:

Statement for WIGHTBID queries regarding Court Summons:

The Business Improvement District Rules are such that all businesses and organisations with hereditaments within the BID scope and listed on the Isle of Wight Council’s NNDR list on the 1^st September 2016 i.e. the start date of the BID year, are held to be liable as a levy payer. Between November 2015 and April 2016 we undertook an Island wide consultation programme and invited tourism businesses such as yourselves to provide us feedback as to whether you felt this was the right way forward for the Island.

The WIGHT BID follows an important and legal process in order to be fair and equitable to all those organisations and businesses within the levy scope. As this is a legal process a summons has been issued by the Isle of Wight Council in accordance with Business Improvement Districts (England) Regulations 2004 and Non–Domestic (Collection & Enforcement ) (Local Lists) Regulations 1989. Costs are £58 on issue of a Summons plus an additional £22 if the account is not paid before a liability order is obtained at the Isle of Wight Magistrates Court on 13th February 2017.

If you are unable to make payment in full prior to the date of the liability order hearing (13th February 2017) a payment arrangement may be considered which will include costs incurred. Please note non-payment will be pursued via all available enforcement options in accordance with legislation which will incur further costs.

Visit Isle of Wight LTD

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