Leatherhead's new BID, and the three in four businesses who did not vote

Since 1 January 2026, Leatherhead town centre has had a business improvement district. It is paid for, in the words of Mole Valley District Council, by "a 2% levy on business premises with a rateable value of £8,000 or more within the BID boundary", for an initial five years.

A quarter of the town decided

The BID publishes its ballot result: 81% of the businesses that voted were in favour, and 78% by rateable value. But 25% of eligible businesses voted at all. As the BID itself notes, "There is no legal turnout threshold in England", and the law agrees: section 50 of the Local Government Act 2003 asks only for a majority of those voting, by number and by rateable value.

So one business in four made the decision for the rest, and the levy applies to every business that meets the description set out in the arrangements, however it voted or whether it voted at all (section 46). That is how every BID works, and business improvement districts, explained goes through the rules.

What the levy is for

The BID's own site sets out six themes: promote, improve, protect, enhance, support and influence. In practice that means events such as the Duck Race, Halloween and the Christmas Festival; litter picking, graffiti and gum removal and seasonal planting, all "over and above the services already provided by Mole Valley District Council"; crime prevention through the DISC intelligence-sharing system and possibly more CCTV; better signs and wayfinding; shared schemes for waste and utilities, and training.

The last theme matters more than it sounds. The BID wants the town to speak "with one clear and cohesive voice" while local government is reorganised, and from April 2027 Leatherhead's council will be East Surrey Council, which also covers Epsom & Ewell, Elmbridge, Reigate & Banstead and Tandridge.

Three things that cost nothing

• Get your events listed. The BID's events page asks for listings by email and already carries far more than its own events, from the Mole Valley Arts Alive festival to the Chamber's networking evenings.
• Join a working group. After the vote, Bruce Shaw, director of the BID's shadow board, invited businesses to get involved "whether by joining the Board or participating in themed working groups" (Mole Valley District Council).
• Check your invoice. The first levy invoices went out in March 2026 (Leatherhead BID). If the rateable value on yours looks wrong, ask now, not at the next ballot.

Next to Epsom and Kingston

Epsom's BID, Go Epsom, is in its second five-year term, 2023 to 2028 (Go Epsom); we wrote about what it pays for. Kingston First, which describes itself as the UK's first BID, began its current five-year term in January 2025 after a renewal ballot in which 56% of businesses voted (Kingston First). Leatherhead's arrangements can last five years at most, and carrying on after that needs another ballot (section 54). By then its businesses will have a record to judge.

Leatherhead is part of the area covered by our page for Epsom and Ewell businesses.