Wight BID 3. Your vote decides how the Island is promoted for the next five years.

The Wight BID 3 is the continuation of Wight BID. It’s is a business-led initiative designed to support and grow the Isle of Wight visitor economy through destination marketing, PR, business support, events, partnerships and industry representation.

The BID is delivered by Visit Isle of Wight Ltd, an independent not-for-profit company governed by a Board of Directors made up of elected levy payers and strategic partners from across the Island.

The Wight BID 3, if voted by businesses, will be funded through a levy paid by eligible tourism and hospitality businesses within the BID area, alongside voluntary contributions and commercial revenue streams.

The BID delivers destination marketing campaigns, PR activity, visitor information, business support, industry training, event promotion, exhibitions, research and advocacy for the Island’s visitor economy.

A stepped levy is a new approach to calculating the BID levy, designed to make contributions more proportionate to the size and type of business.

Under the proposed Wight BID 3 model, different sectors will have different levy rates, reflecting the different ways businesses benefit from the visitor economy and their ability to contribute. The levy will be calculated as a percentage of the property’s rateable value, rather than being a flat amount.

This means businesses with a lower rateable value will generally pay less, while larger properties with a higher rateable value will contribute more.

Your BID levy will depend on your business sector and the rateable value of your property.

The proposed Wight BID 3 model uses different levy rates for different sectors, ranging from 1.75% to 6%. Rateable values are set independently by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) and broadly reflect the size and value of a property.

For example, two accommodation businesses may both fall within the same levy band, but the business with the higher rateable value will pay more in cash terms.

Importantly, the levy is not calculated on your turnover. It is based on the rateable value of the property.

The proposed model also removes the existing £150 minimum payment. This means some smaller businesses could pay less than they currently do, as they will instead pay solely according to their rateable value.

Yes. The person eligible to vote should put a cross (X) in the box of his/her choice, “Yes” to vote in favour of the proposed BID or “No” to vote against. The voter must then sign the ballot paper, write their name in block capitals and write their position in the company or partnership.

The ballot will be conducted entirely by post by the Independent Scrutineer, Civica Election Services (CES) of The Election Centre, 33 Clarendon Road, London N8 0NW. Return the completed ballot paper in the enclosed pre-paid envelope. To be counted, the ballot paper must be received by CES no later than 5pm on Thursday 29 October 2026. Ballot papers should be returned as soon as possible to avoid postal delays.

Appointment of Proxy

Persons eligible to vote in the BID ballot may appoint someone else to vote on their behalf (for example, if they are going to be away at the time of the ballot). Applications to appoint a proxy must be submitted to CES at the above address or via email to bids.UK@civica.com no later than 5pm on Monday 19 October 2026. An application for the appointment of a proxy must be made in writing and:

a) state the full name and address of the person whom the person entitled to vote (the

applicant) wishes to appoint as a proxy;

b) state the address(es) of the applicant’s hereditament or hereditaments;

c) be signed by the applicant; and

d) contain a statement by the applicant that the proxy so named has been consulted and is capable and willing to be appointed.

A proxy appointment may be cancelled by notifying CES at the above address no later than 5pm on Saturday 24 October 2026.

Ballot Papers will be despatched on Thursday 1 October. If you have not received your ballot paper in the week after this date, please apply for a replacement ballot paper.

CES can provide a replacement request form to aid the process of requesting a replacement and providing all the necessary information.

Here you can download a replacement ballot form to complete and send directly to CES.

You may apply to CES for a replacement paper by supplying ONE of the following:

a) An email sent from a business account including a company email signature; or

b) A letter in hard copy form along with the appropriate ‘evidence of identity’; or

C) A scan of both the letter and the ‘evidence of identity’ attached to an email

Any email requests should be sent to bids.UK@civica.com. Hard copy requests should be addressed to The Independent Scrutineer, Civica Election Services, The Election Centre, 33 Clarendon Road, London N8 0NW.

Hard copy requests must be signed by the Eligible Voter and evidence of the voter’s identity must be provided in the form of ONE of the following:

a) A signed Letterhead for the appropriate company; or

b) A signed photocopy of the National Non-Domestic Rating Bill for the hereditament; or

c) A signed photocopy of an item of personal ID such as a Passport or Driving Licence.

Please do not send original copies of ID or Bills.

CES will issue any replacements that match the requirements detailed above, from the replacement deadline on Friday 23 October 2026.

The Business Support section includes webinars, training sessions, downloadable resources, visitor insights, industry updates and links to national guidance and support.

If a yes vote is passed, then BID 3 will start of the 1 November 2026.