With the current Business Improvement District (BID) arrangements coming to an end on 31 March 2026, the Council has prepared a smooth transition aiming to protect key services, providing residents and businesses with continuity, reassurance, and new opportunities.
The BID oversees certain street cleaning services in Rugby town centre, its town ranger service that provide high-visibility patrols and reassurance to people and businesses, and town events such as Bikefest and Rugby’s Christmas lights switch-on.
Rugby Borough Council voted to provide extra services from 1 April for 12 months as a temporary solution to the BID ceasing operations while longer-term solutions are developed.
It has informed businesses involved in the BID about these changes and reassured them that the transition will be seamless.
From April, the Council will provide spot-cleaning services throughout the town centre on an as-needed basis when things are reported. This will be in addition to its existing daily cleaning services, which include:
There will also be four new additions to the existing council-led Community Warden team in a response to increased reports of anti-social behaviour. They will provide visible reassurance and support across the town centre, working closely with Warwickshire County Council, Warwickshire Police and local partners to prioritise safety.
Rugby’s signature events have long been part of the town’s identity, bringing communities together and supporting local businesses.
All events previously organised by the BID will now be delivered by the Council, including:
The Council is also ensuring the town’s CCTV provision will continue without interruption, for a resilient approach to community safety.
Cllr Michael Moran, Leader of Rugby Borough Council, said: “With the BID’s renewal not progressing to ballot, a number of key services were threatened ahead of the next financial year.
“Keeping Rugby town centre clean is an obvious priority that the Council could not ignore. It is only right that we have chosen to ensure regular street cleaning is maintained.
“We feel the expansion of the Council’s Community Wardens team to create four new Wardens is the best way to maintain public safety in Rugby. They will have strong powers of enforcement to keep the town centre safe for all.
“Finally, events that are the life and soul of Rugby, such as Bikefest, simply had to carry on. We are happy to say that no event previously organised by the BID is lost in our proposal.
“We believe these interventions are the best way forward for the town before more permanent solutions are found.”
Cllr Jerry Roodhouse, Chair of the Rugby Town Centre Working Group, added: “Through the levy paid by many town centre businesses, the BID provided several important services that we knew could not stop overnight.
“As a proactive Council, we wanted to ensure that services that keep Rugby safe and clean, and events that bring people into the town, continue from April.
“While we come up with ways to secure these services in the long term, we think these proposals will provide a viable stopgap given the circumstances.”