About Us

The Our Bury St Edmunds BID was created on 1st April 2010 and was successfully returned for its fourth 5-year term, which commenced on 1st April 2025.

What Is a BID ?

As of 2023, there are over 300 BIDs in the UK, with five in Suffolk, located in Ipswich, Bury St Edmunds Lowestoft, Newmarket and Felixstowe.

The concept of a BID ( Business Improvement District) is to allow local businesses within a specified geographical area to provide a percentage of the rateable value of their trading unit to be paid to an independent, not-for-profit organisation, which then spends the money on behalf of the businesses, delivering additional benefits to those already required to be provided by statutory authorities to improve the trading environment for their members.

For a BID to be introduced, there is a requirement of a ballot whereby all businesses above a stated rateable value and within a geographical area are invited to vote on whether a BID should be introduced.

There is also a requirement to set a rateable value threshold for those businesses entitled to vote in a ballot and who will become BID members should the outcome of the vote be in favour of the BID.

Since the first ballot in 2009, this threshold has been set at £10,000 in Bury St Edmunds.

The Our Bury St Edmunds BID was created on 1st April 2010 and was successfully returned for its fourth 5-year term, which commenced on 1st April 2025. Every existing BID must hold a ballot every five years when all BID members are allowed to vote and indicate whether they want the BID to continue.

Our next ballot will be held in 2029. Of those businesses who voted in the most recent ballot, 78.5% asked that the BID continue, this ballot also had the largest number of businesses voting yes, we have ever had.

The exact number of BID members can fluctuate due to businesses opening and closing, but as of 1/4/25, there are over 400 mandatory BID members. We also have around 30 members who choose to be a BID member even though they may have a rateable value below our £10,000 threshold or be located outside of the BID area – the designated BID area is on pages 24&25 of our current Business Plan which you can download here.

Contact the Team

Chief Executive

Mark Cordell

Mark has held the position of BID CEO since February 2011 having previously completed a 32 year career with the Suffolk Constabulary. He has overseen the development of the BID during this period and contributed to the increasing reputation of the town centre as one of the top retail and visitor destinations in the east of England. He lives in the town centre and is proud to be representing the interest of town centre businesses.

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Business Support Manager

Mike Kirkham

Mike joined the team in 2017 having served as a police officer for 31 years with Norfolk Constabulary and Metropolitan Police Service during which he gained partnership and management experience in the public and private sectors. In addition, he was part of the Home Office, 2012 Olympics planning team and a security advisor with Suffolk Constabulary. Mike loves living and working in Bury St Edmunds, is an amateur astronomer, and a keen cyclist

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Events Manager

Jackie Regan

Jackie has previously worked for the Town Centre Management Company in Bury as well as in Stowmarket in a similar position. She returned to this role in January 2011. She has considerable experience in co-ordinating events and oversees the very successful Spring Fayre, Motorsport East, Food & Drink Festival, and the Christmas Lights Event every year.

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Head of Marketing

Sue Warren

Sue manages promotion output for both the Our Bury St Edmunds BID brand and the visitor brand Bury St Edmunds and Beyond. She has wide range of experience in marketing and communications working at senior level in agencies and in-house for a number of large local, national and international organisations, including seven years running her own marketing and communications consultancy in East Anglia. A former journalist and news editor, she spent the first part of her career in local and evening newspapers.