The Brentwood Business Improvement District (BID), known as Brentwood Connected, is in its early stages – it’s just a month old – but it promises to bring great benefits to the High Streets and businesses of Brentwood, Ingatestone and Shenfield.
I met up last week with Brentwood Connected members, Sarah Walmesley, who is the BID District Manager, and Rick Live, manager of The Merchant on Brentwood High Street and the Night-Time Economy representative on the BID board. We were joined by Roger Hirst, the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (PFCC) for Essex as well, who has seen the difference Business Improvement Districts can make in places like Southend, where businesses and the police work together to prioritise safety and tackle crime.
Brentwood Connected brings local businesses together to lobby for funding, for support from local authorities to improve the amenity of the town, and for policing measures to keep our High Streets safe. One of the simplest, and most effective, bits of connected thinking so far has been a Pubwatch style WhatsApp group for the licensed premises in Brentwood High Street. Those wishing to cause trouble in our pubs and clubs will now find it difficult to get in anywhere if they put a foot wrong in just one establishment.
I know Roger Hirst, as PFCC, has access to Government funding for additional police patrols and can discuss tweaks to policing methods to ensure officers are available at the key night-time stress points, like pub and club closing times.
By working together, I can see how our High Street can be improved, with businesses working together to provide events and entertainment for all ages , from half term holiday Scarecrow hunts to the Brentwood Art Trail, to the Christmas Lights switch on.
You can find out more about Brentwood Connected at https://www.brentwoodconnected.co.uk/
