BUSINESSES in the town centre have voted to retain the services of promotion company inSwindon for five more years.

The results were announced by Swindon Borough Council’s Electoral Services yesterday after all the ballot papers had been counted.

The result will see inSwindon BID Company Ltd serve a third term in its capacity of promoting and maintaining the town centre.

InSwindon has managed the town centre since 2007 and is one of only 23 BIDs (Business Improvement Districts) in the country who have successfully obtained a third term. There are over 276 active BIDs in the UK.

InSwindon BID manager Di Powell said: “This is such a positive result for the town centre. I would like to thank our members and the businesses who have voted to enable our continuation.

“I am particularly proud and thankful to the team for their hard work and grateful to the board of directors who volunteer their time and support to the BID. I look forward to building on the success of the town centre. Together we can create a vibrant town centre we can all be proud of.”

Such sentiments echo those voiced by the organisers of Switch On to Swindon, a new initiative that was launched last week to promote the town on the national stage. Campaign co-ordinator Nicky Alberry described the scheme as “a major milestone in the on-going success story that is Swindon”.

The vote to retain the services of inSwindon, which saw 41 per cent of businesses cast a ballot, will mean that £2.7 million will be invested into Swindon town centre over the next five years.

Di added: “Clearly there will be businesses that have not voted in support of the renewal and it’s vital that we engage and understand what we can do for these businesses going forward.

“The next five years will be an exciting time for the town centre, with the regeneration programme and place marketing Switch on to Swindon strategy highlighting the town as a great place to live, work, invest and visit.”

Ian Larrard, inSwindon Board chairman, said: “I believe that inSwindon BID Company are uniquely placed to continue to help shape the town centre so I am delighted that the town centre businesses have voted in favour of the BID for another five years. This is a great opportunity to build on the success of the last 10 years.”

InSwindon has promised to deliver such things as a co-ordinated approach to car parking, better transport links and to act as a collective voice for the town centre.

Full details of the inSwindon BID business plan can be found on their website www.swindontowncentre.co.uk.