About Us

What is Enjoy Kings Heath?

 

Formerly known as Kings Heath BID, Enjoy Kings Heath is a Business Improvement District (BID), working to promote local businesses on Kings Heath High Street and the various roads leading off from it.

A BID is a not-for-profit organisation that becomes possible when a group of businesses within a geographically defined area each agree to an additional levy, linked to their property’s rateable value (usually under 3%). This levy is subsequently invested into improving the area’s business and shopping environment, positively impacting both footfall and sales.

Every five years, BIDs must hold a renewal ballot amongst levy-paying businesses in order to secure a mandate for another five-year term. Established in 2008, Enjoy Kings Heath has so far survived four election cycles, with its fourth term having begun in April 2023 and running until March 2028.

Just one of the 341 BIDs currently operating across the UK, Enjoy Kings Heath is made up of around 300 businesses and organisations, who have each agreed to pay a BID levy equivalent to 2% of their rateable value. This levy raises approximately £150,000 per annum, all of which is pumped straight back into supporting the local community.

The business strategy at Enjoy Kings Heath is set out by a Board of Directors, the majority of whom own or manage a business in Kings Heath. Their projects are implemented by the BID Manager and staff team.

 

Achievements and Projects

 

Since its foundation in 2008, Enjoy Kings Heath has garnered a range of achievements, each of which has contributed to keeping our High Street among the best in the city. During the BID’s fourth term, it will be delivering the projects that its businesses have voted to support, along with a plethora of other exciting plans and initiatives.

Our current areas of work include:

Supporting Your Business

Supporting our local business community is at the heart of everything we do. Using our influence and contacts, we have ensured that Kings Heath businesses get heard by Birmingham City Council, the Highways Team, West Midlands Police and waste removal companies, to name but a few.

What’s more, Enjoy Kings Heath has recently teamed up with BIRA , offering levy payers all of the benefits of their membership, including reduced utility bills and lower card processing rates, for no extra cost! Contact membership@bira.co.uk and let them know we sent you to get started today.

Safe and Accessible

Our wonderful Street Warden Team can be seen patrolling the High Street day in, day out, helping to keep the local area and its businesses safe. They regularly recover hundreds of pounds worth of shoplifted goods and act as a visible deterrent to antisocial behaviour in the area. Friendly and willing, the team can support businesses through a variety of situations, particularly when West Midlands Police might not be able to respond quickly enough.

Enjoy Kings Heath is currently working in partnership with Our Scene CIC to make the High Street more accessible to those with specific needs, including wheelchair users and individuals with sensory requirements. You can find out more about this project here.

Clean and Green

With the help of individuals who generously dedicate their free time to removing graffiti and caring for the BID’s planter boxes, as well as local volunteer groups like Kings Heath and Brandwood Litter Pickers, Enjoy Kings Heath works tirelessly to keep our area clean.

If that wasn’t enough, it is also down to us to install and operate the High Street’s Christmas lights, not to mention the decorative lights that can be spotted in the trees dotted along the High Street throughout the year.

Marketing and Events

Enjoy Kings Heath employs its extensive reach within the community to promote local businesses on its social media platforms, email newsletters and the BT Hub advertising screens located around the area.

Working in conjunction with various local groups, the BID both facilitates and promotes events like Queens Heath Pride and Eid in Kings Heath, which along with the regular Farmers’ and Artisan Markets, draw thousands of visitors to Kings Heath each year.