In February 2027, businesses will vote on whether the services, support and investment delivered through Heart of London Business Alliance (HOLBA) should continue for another three years.
Our business proposal, Investing in the place your business depends on, sets out what we’ve achieved over the last term and what we’ll deliver next to make the Heart of London a better place for your business to thrive.
Read it before you vote to understand what your business stands to gain and what it could lose without HOLBA. It also explains how the ballot works and the steps you need to take to cast your vote.
Eligible businesses are in Leicester Square & Piccadilly Circus, Piccadilly & Jermyn Street, and Berkeley Street, Stratton Street, Lansdowne Row and Mayfair Place.
Explore the map and check the FAQs below to see whether your business is eligible.
In the 2022 ballot, more than 90% of votes backed HOLBA. We’re proud of that support, but we can’t take the next result for granted.
We’re asking for your YES vote again, so we can turn your priorities into action and deliver the commitments set out in this proposal.
∙ Voting opens on 4 February 2027.
∙ Complete and return your postal ballot paper so it arrives by 5pm on 4 March 2027.
Don’t leave it to others. Every single vote counts.
New to HOLBA or already know us? Meet the team, ask your questions and find out what the proposal means for your business. We’re happy to talk in person or online.
Email: hello@holba.london Telephone: 020 7734 4507
These answers cover who we are, what your business would contribute and how to cast your vote.
We’re an independent, not-for-profit organisation that brings businesses and property owners together to invest in the Heart of London.
We manage six BIDs across Leicester Square & Piccadilly Circus, Piccadilly & Jermyn Street and St Martin’s. Each area has an Occupier BID and a Property Owner BID.
We turn shared priorities into action, from dealing with problems on the street to promoting the area and speaking up for your business.
A Business Improvement District (BID) brings businesses in a defined area together to fund additional services and improvements. It is established or renewed through a regulated ballot of those eligible to pay the levy.
The proposal explains what the BID will deliver, the area it covers and how it will be funded. Businesses then vote on whether it should go ahead. BIDs must return to their voters for approval to continue beyond their agreed term.
HOLBA is a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee. An unpaid Board of Directors, drawn from businesses and property interests across our sectors and areas, oversees the organisation’s strategy and finances.
Our Chief Executive and team deliver the work, guided by the agreed proposal and budgets.
No. HOLBA is independent of Westminster City Council and is not affiliated with a political party.
We work with the council, police, Transport for London, the Mayor of London, government, decision-makers, other stakeholders and partners. We also challenge decisions and make the case for change when your business needs a stronger voice.
An Occupier BID is funded by eligible business ratepayers. A Property Owner BID is funded by eligible property owners.
Together, businesses and property owners can invest in shared priorities. Each BID keeps its own budget and accounts, while shared teams and contracts help the investment go further.
The 2027 ballots are for the two Occupier BIDs. Renewing them also allows the corresponding Property Owner BIDs to continue.
Your priorities help shape our work. Speak to your account manager, take part in our surveys, or join the meetings and sector discussions relevant to your business.
You don’t need to wait for a ballot to get involved. We can help you access services, share your views and find ways to tackle problems together.
It depends on where your property is, its 2023 rateable value and the levy rules in the business proposal.
| BID | Minimum 2023 rateable value | ||||
| Leicester Square & Piccadilly Circus | £130,000 | ||||
| Piccadilly & Jermyn Street, including the proposed expansion | £225,000 | ||||
Eligible properties at or above the relevant threshold are included. Properties below it do not pay the compulsory levy or have a vote in these ballots.
Explore the map on this page and check the approved boundaries and levy rules in the proposal.
Not sure about your property? Get in touch, and we’ll help you check.
We propose extending the Piccadilly & Jermyn Street BID to eligible properties on Berkeley Street, Stratton Street, Lansdowne Row and Mayfair Place.
Businesses in these streets would join the same partnership, with access to our services, support and collective voice. The extension would also help us tackle shared issues across neighbouring streets, including around Green Park. The existing and proposed expanded areas will vote together in one renewal and alteration ballot. The same proposed levy rates, threshold and cap would apply across that BID.
The Leicester Square & Piccadilly Circus boundary is not proposed to change.
The proposal combines practical help for your business with investment in the place around it. It includes 24/7 security support, dedicated Street Managers, additional cleaning, business advice and information, cost-saving opportunities, local data, promotion and a stronger collective voice.
You don’t need a shopfront to benefit. Offices rely on safe journeys, a welcoming setting for clients and a place where people want to work. Shops, hotels, restaurants and cultural venues rely on confident customers and visitors.
Read the proposal for the full priorities and commitments, alongside examples of what we’ve achieved.
The proposed term is 1 April 2027 to 31 March 2030.
A BID can run for up to five years before it needs another ballot. A three-year term would bring these two Occupier BIDs into line with HOLBA’s other BID terms, so future planning and investment can follow a coordinated timetable.
Continuing beyond March 2030 would need another successful ballot.
If either Occupier BID is not renewed, it and its corresponding Property Owner BID would end on 31 March 2027, along with the additional services and investment they fund in that area.
The council, police and other public bodies would still have their own responsibilities, but there is no replacement for the additional services, support and investment funded through HOLBA.
The proposed Piccadilly & Jermyn Street extension would not go ahead if that ballot was unsuccessful.
Each Occupier ballot has its own result.
Your proposed annual levy is based on your property’s 2023 rateable value, using these rates:
| Financial year | Levy rate |
| 2027/28 | 1.41% |
| 2028/29 | 1.44% |
| 2029/30 | 1.47% |
The annual rate averages 1.44% over the three-year term. The annual charge is capped at £50,000 for each eligible separately assessed property, not for the business as a whole.
For example, a property with a 2023 rateable value of £500,000 would pay £7,050 in 2027/28, assuming a full year of liability and no relief.
Using the 2023 rating list rather than the later revaluation gives businesses greater cost certainty. The proposal includes worked examples and the full levy rules. We’ll be happy to talk through what they mean for your property.
Rateable value is the assessed annual rental value used for business rates. It is not your business rates bill or necessarily the rent you pay. The proposed BID levy uses your property’s 2023 rateable value.
A hereditament is a property, or part of one, assessed separately for business rates. If your business has several separately assessed properties, each eligible property may have its own levy charge and ballot paper.
Westminster City Council collects the levy on our behalf. It is billed separately from business rates and used for the BID purposes approved through the ballot.
Follow the payment instructions and deadline on your levy demand. The council can help with billing or payment queries. Speak to us about the services and investment your levy supports.
Under the proposed levy rules, charitable organisations receiving mandatory charitable relief from business rates receive an 80% reduction in their BID levy.
VAT is not added to the compulsory BID levy.
Check the full rules in the proposal or ask about your property. Business rates exemptions and discounts do not automatically apply to the BID levy.
Let Westminster City Council and HOLBA know as soon as possible. Levy liability is calculated daily and rests with the eligible ratepayer. Any changes are handled under the approved levy rules.
Moving, leaving a property empty or changing its rateable value does not automatically cancel a levy demand. The proposal explains how adjustments are handled, and the council can confirm the position for your property.
Businesses below the levy threshold do not pay the compulsory levy or vote in these ballots. Businesses outside the proposed boundaries are not included either.
We offer voluntary membership opportunities. Get in touch to discuss whether membership is available and right for your business. Voluntary membership does not itself give you a vote in a BID ballot.
Most of the funding comes from the annual levy paid by businesses and property owners through their respective BIDs.
For 2027 to 2030, successful renewal of both Occupier BIDs would support approximately £10 million from the two Occupier BIDs and £10 million from their corresponding Property Owner BIDs. Together, this represents around £20 million of planned investment across both areas over three years.
We also work to bring in sponsorship, grants and other non-levy investment.
Each BID has its own budget and accounts. Levy income is ring-fenced for the services, improvements and priorities approved through its ballot.
Our Board oversees spending and financial performance. The budgets include the staff and operating costs needed to deliver the work, as well as individual services and projects.
We report on delivery and finances to businesses at least once a year. Sharing teams and contracts helps us work efficiently, but each BID remains separately accountable for its money.
Westminster City Council collects business rates but retains the equivalent of only around 5% of the amount collected. The remainder is distributed through the wider UK public funding system, rather than ring-fenced for the streets where it was raised.
The council’s responsibilities include services such as planning, licensing, street cleansing, highways, libraries, housing and social care. The police and other public bodies retain their own responsibilities.
The BID levy is different. It is ring-fenced for the BID area in which it is collected, funding the additional services and improvements businesses approve through the ballot.
Paying business rates does not give your business a direct vote on how that money is spent. Through the BID ballot, you do have a direct say on the plan your levy will fund.
A BID gives businesses a shared plan, a dedicated budget and a team focused on delivery. It means practical help with everyday problems, investment in the surrounding area and a stronger voice on issues no single business can resolve alone.
BID funding adds to public services. It is not intended to pay for the same provision twice.
A baseline agreement with Westminster City Council sets out the council services expected in the BID area. It makes clear what the council is responsible for and what the BID funds in addition.
We work alongside public bodies to coordinate delivery and raise standards, while keeping our responsibilities separate.
Rent and service charges relate to your premises and the services covered by your lease.
The BID levy funds shared services and improvements across the surrounding BID area. It supports the place your business depends on beyond your own building, including streets, public spaces, promotion and representation of your interests.
The eligible business ratepayer has the vote for each qualifying property. For a company or organisation, an authorised representative completes the ballot paper.
Contact us to check your nominated voter and postal details, particularly if decisions are made at head office or by someone outside London.
Westminster City Council is the ballot authority. The ballots are run independently of HOLBA under BID legislation.
For each BID, the proposal must pass two tests:
Each BID’s result is counted separately.
The results will be announced on 5 March 2027 and published on this page.
Ballot papers will be issued on 4 February 2027. Your named voter will receive a pack with a ballot paper, an explanatory statement and a prepaid return envelope.
| Milestone | Date |
| Notice of ballot issued | 21 January 2027 |
| Ballot papers issued and voting opens | 4 February 2027 |
| Completed ballot papers must arrive | By 5pm on 4 March 2027 |
| Results announced | 5 March 2027 |
| New term begins, if renewed | 1 April 2027 |
Read the proposal, then complete and sign your ballot paper as instructed. Return it in the envelope provided so it arrives by 5pm on 4 March 2027. Please allow enough time for delivery: it must arrive by the deadline, not just be posted by then.
This is a postal ballot. You cannot vote online or by email, and telling us you support HOLBA does not count as a vote. Your completed ballot paper is what counts.
You will receive a separate ballot paper for each eligible separately assessed property. Complete and return every paper you are entitled to vote on.
One returned paper does not count for all your properties. If you have properties in both BID areas, you may receive papers for both ballots. You must return all of them.
Get in touch promptly. We can help you check the details and put you in touch with the ballot administrator.
Changes of voter, proxy arrangements and replacement papers must follow the official process and deadlines. Please don’t leave it until the closing date. An email or photocopy is not a substitute for an official ballot paper.
Yes. If the proposal passes, every property liable under the approved levy rules must pay, regardless of whether or how the ratepayer voted or which services the business uses.
That’s why your vote matters. Read the proposal and return your ballot paper so your business has its say.
