Living Lochaber BID

The Ballot Holder in the Living Lochaber Tourism Business Improvement District (BID) proposal has clarified that those eligible voters with multiple properties and in receipt of multiple ballot papers are entitled to  one vote per property and should  consider using all the votes available to them.

Steve Barron, Chief Executive of The Highland Council, has offered the clarification after it was brought to his attention that there has been some  confusion over the right  of multiple property owners to have multiple votes.

He said: “I am aware that an impression has been given that businesses are eligible to just one vote no matter how many properties they might own.  I am clarifying that businesses are entitled to have one vote for each property they own and they should consider using all the votes available to them.  I can only apologise if this has not been made clear up until this point.”

Eligible businesses are reminded that the deadline for receipt of votes is 5 pm on Thursday 12 December.
Anyone requiring a replacement ballot paper must contact the Electoral Reform Services as soon as possible and ideally by 5 pm tomorrow (Tuesday).  The Electoral Reform Services can be contacted on 020 8889 9203.
The ballot is being run by the Electoral Reform Services, who are based at The Election Centre, 33 Clarendon Road, London N8 ONW.

They will advise the Ballot Holder of the result by 2.30 pm on Friday 13 December for Living Lochaber Tourism BID to announce the outcome.

For a BID ballot to be successful, there must be a minimum of 25% turn out of the persons entitled to vote, both by number and aggregate rateable value. Of those voting, there needs to be a majority of votes in favour of the proposal and the aggregate rateable value of the properties of those voting in favour of the proposal exceeds the aggregate rateable value of the properties of those voting against the proposals.

A total of 767 eligible voters are involved in the Living Lochaber BID proposal, involving 950 properties.