Awards and Accreditations
Visit Herefordshire Local Visitor Economic Partnership
Herefordshire County BID Ltd, the organisation which leads on the promotion and development of the visitor economy within Herefordshire, has been awarded the official status from the national tourism agency, VisitEngland. Visit Herefordshire will now be recognised by VisitEngland as a Local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP). The development of this status follows ‘The de Bois Review’, a independent government review into Destination Management Organisations and the wider regional tourism landscape in the UK. This official status for Herefordshire will allow access to specialised training opportunities, as well as direct access to central government funding opportunities. The county already attracts over 7.7 million visitors on an annual basis for short breaks, day trips and business travel. The visitor economy employs over 7,400 people and has an economic impact of over£637m which shows how important this sector is to Herefordshire. The accreditation celebrates the county’s efforts towards further developing Herefordshire as a destination of choice for heritage, culture and adventure with its outstanding natural beauty and thriving independent businesses.
Herefordshire County BID awarded British BIDs Accreditation
British BIDs Accreditation is the industry recognised standard, externally assessed by independent auditors, and designed in line with the Business Plan Criteria and the National Guiding Principles for a BID.
Accreditation provides an assessment of the following BID components;
- Governance – The selection process and effectiveness of the board, directors and members of the BID.
- Management and Operations – The staffing structure, contracts and appraisals, insurance policies and data protection.
- Financials – The BID financial systems, ensuring professional and transparent procedures.
- Performance Management – The methods used by the BID to review performance.
- Communication and Reporting – The BID’s communications activity, focussing on how processes and activities are reported
Herefordshire County BID awarded BID Foundation Industry Standards Accreditation
The IPM advised all BIDs to publish important information about their management and governance on their website, for levy payers and wider stakeholders to have confidence in their operations.
The Industry Standards have been developed through consultation with members of TBF Council, the British Retail Consortium, Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Scottish Towns Partnership and Welsh Government.
To Obtain TBF Industry Standards
To obtain TBF Industry Standards a BID Levy Payers must be able to easily access the following information via the BID’s website:
- The contact details for the CEO/BID Manager, and all other staff funded through the BID.
- The current BID business plan.
- The most recent BID ballot result by percentage for number and Rateable Value, including percentage turnout and total number of eligible voters.
- The names of BID Board Directors and the name of their business and/or the sector they represent.
- Details of the BID’s governance structure – these must cover rules for the election of Directors and Terms of Reference for the Board.
- A mechanism or contact details for levy payers to request minutes of Board meetings.
- An explanation on how levy payers can provide feedback to the BID. For example details of an AGM and/or other regular meetings and/or specified contact route
- A published procurement policy and minutes of all decisions made at Board meetings regarding expenditure of the BID levy.
- A register of all pecuniary and personal interests updated at every Board meeting (to be made available upon request).
- The annual billing leaflet sent to levy payers detailing how funds have been spent and the income received.
- An annual report detailing the BIDs achievements and its value to levy payers including annual accounts.
