RENEWAL PROPOSAL 2027-2032
Vote Yes for Vauxhall
Vauxhall One is the Business Improvement District (BID) for Vauxhall. We are a not-for-profit organisation, funded and governed by the businesses in our area, dedicated to making Vauxhall a better place to work, trade and visit.
Every five years, eligible businesses vote on whether the BID should continue. We are asking you to vote Yes to a fourth five-year term, from April 2027 to March 2032.
This page sets out our plans and addresses frequently asked questions around the ballot process, but if you’d like to discuss anything further, please do get in touch to arrange a conversation with the BID team.
What you told us
Over the past year, we’ve spoken in depth to businesses, workers and residents. Across every audience, the same priorities came through clearly. You want:
A cleaner, safer environment.
More greenery, public spaces and attractive walking routes.
A stronger sense of community, culture and identity.
Investment that keeps pace with Vauxhall’s rapid growth.
Our plans for 2027-2032 respond directly to what we heard.
The next five years
The next five years are about confidence, partnership and steady progress towards a Vauxhall where businesses feel supported and represented, workers and visitors feel safe and welcome at all times of day, public spaces are well cared for and full of life, and the district continues to grow as a destination for London.
HOW TO VOTE
Notice of Ballot
In early September, you will receive a letter giving notice that a ballot is due to take place, and asking you to confirm the voter for your business.
A printed copy of the Renewal Proposal will be included with the letter. If you’d like to discuss it in more detail, please get in touch to arrange a call or a meeting with someone from the BID team.
Voting Pack
In early October, you will receive a voting pack from the London Borough of Lambeth, including a ballot paper for each piece of property or building that your business is liable for.
Voting is by post only. The ballot closes at 5pm on 5 November, so ballot papers must be posted by 29 October to ensure they are counted.
Key Dates
3 September
Notice of ballot
You will receive notice that a ballot is due to take place, along with a printed copy of the Vauxhall One Renewal Proposal.
29 September
Ballot Launch Party
A chance to ask questions, meet fellow local businesses, and find out exactly why a YES vote keeps Vauxhall One working for the area.
5 October
Voting Pack
You will receive a voting pack, including ballot papers, from the London Borough of Lambeth and will be able to vote by post.
29 October
Posting Deadline
Make sure your completed ballot paper is posted by this date to ensure it is counted.
5 November
Ballot Closes
The ballot box closes at 5pm. Votes are counted overnight and results are revealed the following day.
1 April 2027
Our Fourth Term Begins
If successful, we begin work towards delivering the plans set out in our Renewal Proposal.
Frequently Asked Questions
All businesses within the designated BID boundary pay the BID levy and get to vote, with a few exceptions including business units with a rateable value under £25,000; ‘Central List’ properties outside the local rating list; advertising rights, telephone masts, car parks and kiosks; residential estate offices; state-funded nursery, primary and secondary schools; communication stations; and adventure playgrounds.
The proposed BID levy for 2027-2032 is 1.56% of rateable value. For example, properties with a rateable value of £25,000 will pay an annual levy of £390; properties with a rateable value of £100,000 will pay an annual levy of £1,560.
We expect to generate an income of approximately £6.6 million over the five year term. Every penny of this will be reinvested into Vauxhall.
Vauxhall One BID levies are ringfenced for Vauxhall and will pay for everything set out in the Renewal Proposal, including safety patrols, street cleansing, greening and public realm projects, business support, destination marketing and advocacy.
Vauxhall One is business-led. It’s run by Vauxhall One Business Improvement District Ltd, a company limited by guarantee, with a Board of Directors drawn principally from local businesses. A finance group gives extra scrutiny to budgets and spend, and we work with external advisers on bookkeeping and audit. Annual reports and accounts show exactly how levy income has been spent, and what it delivered.
Smaller businesses with a rateable value below £25,000 will be offered the chance to join the BID and access services on a voluntary basis. More details will follow on this from 1 April 2027.
The levy is an additional charge on top of business rates, and it pays for services beyond what the council is funded to provide. Business rates help fund the council’s day-to-day street sweeping and bin emptying. The BID levy funds extras such as jet washing, graffiti removal, tunnel maintenance, hanging baskets and pocket gardens, safety patrols and CCTV, free community events and a destination marketing programme.
The ballot is decided by the overall result, not by how any one business votes. If the ballot passes, the levy applies to every eligible business in the BID area for the full five-year term (1 April 2027 to 31 March 2032), including businesses that voted No or didn’t vote. Once approved, the levy is mandatory and is collected by Lambeth Council in the same way as business rates. If the ballot doesn’t pass, the levy ends and is not charged.
If the ballot is unsuccessful, the levy stops, and the services it pays for stop with it. That would mean no more additional street cleaning and graffiti removal, daily litter picking, safety patrols, CCTV, hanging baskets and Christmas trees, tunnel refurbishment, free community events (such as Summer Screens and Bearpit Karaoke), or destination marketing campaigns. Lambeth Council’s own services, including street sweeping, bin collection and park maintenance, are funded separately through business rates and would continue as normal.
No one. This isn’t an election, and there are no competing candidates or rival proposals. The ballot asks a single question: should Vauxhall One continue as the Business Improvement District for Vauxhall for a further five years, from 1 April 2027 to 31 March 2032? Eligible businesses vote Yes or No. If the result is Yes, the BID and its services continue. If it’s No, the levy and the services it funds stop.
The ballot is a secret postal ballot run by Lambeth Council’s Electoral Services. A BID is renewed if a simple majority of votes cast are Yes, and the Yes votes also represent a majority of the rateable value of votes cast. Only votes returned by 5pm on Thursday 5 November are counted.
Yes. The ballot is a secret postal ballot managed by Lambeth Council, not by Vauxhall One.
Download the Vauxhall One Renewal Proposal to see our plans for the next five years in detail. To arrange a conversation with someone from the BID team, contact us via info@vauxhallone.co.uk