Crosshire

Bid? Make sure you say no!

Executive Hire News, December 2008                                           Go to main Crosshire page

At a time when many smaller businesses are facing their hardest time ever, I am annoyed to read that some are being hauled before the courts because they have not paid their Business Improvement District Levy. You may remember that I wrote about this new and impertinent burden on businesses last year. Most of those being pursued are claiming that they did not agree with the scheme or had no knowledge of it. Too late chaps: if your city or urban area has already conducted a vote and the majority have said yes, you all have to pay up! In our area this wretched scheme got approved because less than 50% of businesses bothered to vote and, of course, those who did were the ones who were seduced by the dark side that they might have something to gain. In order to get a BID scheme off the ground, a vote has to take place. Be aware that your branches might receive the paperwork and it could end up getting lost in your system (I know of one case where this happened to an automotive parts chain).

If you find that you have been dragged into a BID scheme, you will have to keep paying. However, Crosshire can advise how you might get a little retaliation. It appears that some, or maybe all, BID schemes are heavily involved with their relevant local Chamber of Commerce - yet another case of nonproductive, back slapping, empire building! If you are already a member of that Chamber, there is no reason why you cannot resign and save your membership fees to pay your BID levy.

Looking at the way our local BID proposes to use our money, I can see no added value over what the local authority should be spending part of our business rates on. BID is just another way of extracting cash from businesses in city and urban areas. If it is not too late for you, make sure that, when you are sent a voting form, you tell all your business neighbours just what is going on, start a chain of phone calls and take every
step to ensure you get the NO vote out.

Value Your People

At this time of year, I do hope that you do not have to consider the future of your valuable employees. I have had more than enough calls in the past month from good hire staff fearful for their jobs. We will need our good people. The politically incompetent are about to borrow shedloads of money from punters whose last job was selling dodgy watches to tourists from the back of a camel. They propose to fund improvements
to schools and houses in order to ‘kick start’ the economy. The hire industry will benefit from such clever wheezes, and who are we to wonder how the hell the loans will be paid back?

Our men and women are the difference that we make in the supply chain and we should involve them in any plans we are making for their future. If push comes to shove, I know many employees would consider a three-day staggered week rather than total job loss, as long as they know the gaffer has also taken some pain. We have had many good Christmases past and, in common with Scrooge, we can still influence the
Christmases to come. I intend to follow the advice of an old plant man who is long gone to the celestial workshops. He advised me to “bloody well soldier on regardless of politicians, bankers and city engineers”, none of whom were worth a blow on the ragman’s trumpet in the real world.

Oh, and by the way, when that old geezer in the red coat is spotted on his sleigh in your yard, don’t enter SANTA 1 on the ‘askmid’ web site! I have it on good authority that he is most definitely uninsured, and running on hay and red alcohol. A very Merry Christmas to you all. Best wishes for a whiff of
profit in the New Year.

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