Let's Go Glasgow BID

What Let's Go Glasgow BID does

Let's Go Glasgow BID is Glasgow city centre's first Business Improvement District (BID), established following a successful ballot in November 2025 and formally launched on 1 April 2026. It is a private, non-profit organization funded by a mandatory 1.5% levy on commercial premises with a rateable value exceeding £100,000, generating a committed £14 million five-year programme through to March 2031. The organization delivers four coordinated workstreams — Cleaner, Safer, Vibrant, and Empowered — providing additional urban services that complement rather than replace Glasgow City Council provision.

The core offering comprises the Clean Team Service (operated by ABM, seven days a week from 5am to 2pm), an independent environmental baseline audit programme run by Keep Scotland Beautiful with live dashboards and automated alerts, a City Centre Safety Initiative coordinated with Police Scotland, and a Staying Connected communication and engagement service. Supporting initiatives include the All In Welcome hospitality sustainability campaign for the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games (70+ participating venues) and a dedicated levy-payer helpdesk. Technology footprint is modest — primarily operational telemetry and web/CRM channels — with no disclosed AI/ML capability or proprietary software products.

The business model is a secured, recurring levy on a defined geographic base (Glasgow city centre), governed by a multi-sector Board of Directors including representatives from ScotRail, Buchanan Galleries, John Lewis, Dakota Hotels, KPMG, Barclays, Police Scotland, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, and Glasgow City Council. Sean Murray (formerly SEC Head of Marketing for 18 years) was appointed inaugural Chief Executive in summer 2026, succeeding Interim CEO Chandra Pollock who led BID development. The organization has 1–10 employees, is headquartered at 30 George Square, Glasgow G2 1EQ, and is not publicly traded or affiliated with a parent company.

Name

Let's Go Glasgow BID

Legal name

Let's Go Glasgow BID

Website

https://letsgoglasgow.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2025

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Let's Go Glasgow BID is Glasgow city centre's first Business Improvement District, delivering cleaning, safety, vibrancy, and engagement services to levy-paying businesses under a £14M five-year programme funded by a mandatory 1.5% levy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Urban Improvement District Services

NAICS

Facilities Support Services (5612)

SIC

Services-Facilities Support Management Services (8744)

akta.pro primary industry

Sustainable Cities, Urban Development & Green Infrastructure (BPADALAL)

Keywords

• Business improvement district
• Urban cleaning services
• City centre safety
• Destination marketing campaigns
• Levy-funded business services

Headquarters

HQ city

Glasgow

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Business Levy: The primary revenue stream is a 1.5% levy charged on business premises with a rateable value over £100,000. This mandatory charge funds the five-year £14 million programme focused on creating a cleaner, safer, more vibrant and more empowered city centre. The levy is collected from eligible city centre businesses following the successful BID ballot in November 2025.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Let's Go Glasgow BID delivers a coordinated urban improvement programme for Glasgow city centre through four pillars: Cleaner (Clean Team cleaning, graffiti removal, bin and street furniture maintenance, lane targeting), Safer (visible street presence, dispersal zone support with Police Scotland), Vibrant (marketing, events and coordinated campaigns such as the 'All In Welcome' hospitality campaign for Glasgow 2026), and Empowered (regular business communications, levy payer helpdesk, data-driven progress tracking). Services are funded by a 1.5% levy on business premises with rateable value over £100,000.

Product overview

Let's Go Glasgow BID is a Business Improvement District organization that delivers a unified programme of urban improvement services for Glasgow city centre, built around four strategic priorities: Cleaner, Safer, Vibrant, and Empowered. The core offering combines the Clean Team Service (providing additional cleaning and graffiti removal), Environmental Audit Programme (with live monitoring dashboards), City Centre Safety Initiative (partnering with Police Scotland), and Staying Connected communication services. The BID leverages a live data system with automated alerts and mapping layers to coordinate environmental monitoring and issue management. Additional initiatives include the All In Welcome hospitality campaign for Glasgow 2026 and a dedicated levy payer helpdesk. The £14 million five-year programme (April 2026 to March 2031) is funded by a 1.5% levy on business premises with rateable value over £100,000.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Clean Team Service Dedicated cleaning service operating seven days a week from 5am to 2pm, tackling graffiti removal on private buildings, bins, street furniture, and targeting city lanes. Delivered by ABM on behalf of the BID with a dedicated online helpdesk for levy-paying businesses.
• Environmental Audit Programme Independent environmental baseline audit conducted by Keep Scotland Beautiful, establishing monitoring sites across high-footfall locations tracked throughout the day. Includes live dashboard and mapping layers for ongoing environmental analysis with automated alerts.
• City Centre Safety Initiative Support for Glasgow city centre dispersal zone providing more visible and coordinated street presence, particularly during busy periods and in the evening economy. Works in partnership with Police Scotland to address anti-social behaviour.
• All In Welcome Campaign City-wide hospitality campaign for Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games involving 70+ venues promoting sustainability through reusable drink stencils made from repurposed ocean plastic. Partnership with Glasgow Chamber of Commerce's Circular Glasgow initiative.
• Staying Connected Communication Service Communication and engagement service providing regular updates to businesses via newsletter, website, LinkedIn, and Instagram. Includes general enquiries contact and feedback channels for levy-paying businesses.
• Levy Payer Helpdesk Dedicated online helpdesk where levy-paying businesses can log issues directly, with requests routed to either BID or Glasgow City Council responsibility depending on requirements. Provides telephone and email support.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1118 dispersal powers used since March 2026, with 68 people reported to Procurator Fiscal for breaching dispersal directions, demonstrating safety intervention effectiveness
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• ABMcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 April 2026ABM has been contracted to deliver the Clean Team service on behalf of Let's Go Glasgow BID. The service operates seven days a week from 5am to 2pm, tackling tasks that fall outside existing Glasgow City Council services including graffiti removal on private buildings, bins and street furniture, and targeting city lanes. ABM has been maintaining public spaces for over a hundred years across the globe and brings decades-long presence at Scottish iconic sites.
• Keep Scotland BeautifulcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2026Keep Scotland Beautiful has been commissioned to conduct an independent environmental baseline audit for Glasgow city centre. The audit establishes current conditions including street condition, bin status, litter levels, vacant units, and other environmental factors. Fixed monitoring sites are being established at high-footfall locations with observations captured across four time windows. This data feeds into a live system powering automated alerts and dashboards.
• Glasgow Chamber of Commerce (Circular Glasgow)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Glasgow Chamber of Commerce's Circular Glasgow initiative, supported by Sustainable Glasgow and Glasgow City Council's Sustainability team, partnered with Let's Go Glasgow BID to deliver the 'All In Welcome' hospitality campaign for Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games. More than 70 hospitality venues participated, featuring reusable drink stencils made from repurposed ocean plastic. Post-Games, stencils will be donated to Glasgow schools for sustainability education.
• Sustainable GlasgowcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supporting the 'All In Welcome' hospitality campaign with sustainability focus, reinforcing Glasgow's reputation as a leading circular economy city.
• Glasgow City CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlasgow City Council's Sustainability team supports the 'All In Welcome' campaign. The Council is also represented on the BID Board by Jenny O'Hagan, Director of Service Delivery, ensuring public sector coordination and alignment with city priorities.
• Police ScotlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPolice Scotland is represented on the BID Board by Chief Inspector Stephen McManus in an advisory role. The BID supports the Glasgow city centre dispersal zone, which was established in March 2026 to address anti-social behaviour and disorder, working closely with Police Scotland on safety interventions.
• Glasgow Chamber of CommercecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerGlasgow Chamber of Commerce is represented on the BID Board by Chief Executive Stuart Patrick. The Chamber provides business network access and supports BID initiatives including the Glasgow 2026 hospitality campaign.
• SEC (Scottish Event Campus)minorOthersThe SEC is the former employer of new CEO Sean Murray, where he served as Head of Marketing for 18 years. Sean supported the launch of OVO Hydro, led the SEC rebrand, and helped strengthen its position as a leading UK event destination. While not an active partnership, the SEC represents a key stakeholder and venue in Glasgow's events ecosystem.
• ROX Diamonds & ThrillscoreOthersROX Diamonds & Thrills, managed by Kyron Keogh who serves as Chair of Let's Go Glasgow BID, represents the retail sector on the Board. As Chair, Kyron leads governance and strategic direction of the organization.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Belfast BID: Belfast city centre BID delivering cleaning, safety, and promotional services funded by a levy on commercial premises. Comparable mandate and operating model to Let's Go Glasgow BID.
• London Bridge BID: London BID focused on the London Bridge area, delivering enhanced public realm, cleaning, and safety services funded by levy payers. Comparable as a UK BID with similar service pillars.
• Liverpool BID Company: Liverpool's city centre BID delivering supplementary services including street cleansing, security, and marketing campaigns funded by a mandatory levy on rateable businesses. Comparable UK BID with similar five-year programme structure.
• New West End Company: London BID representing Oxford Street, Bond Street and Regent Street retailers with a levy-funded programme focused on cleaning, safety, and destination marketing. Closely comparable in scale and mandate to Let's Go Glasgow BID.
• Manchester BID: Business Improvement District covering Manchester city centre, funded by a levy on commercial premises and delivering cleaning, safety, and city promotion services. Directly analogous in operating model and scope to Let's Go Glasgow BID.
• Cardiff BID: Cardiff city centre BID funded by a levy on rateable businesses, providing additional cleaning, safety, and marketing activity. Directly comparable UK BID operating a similar programme structure.
• Heart of London Business Alliance: One of the UK's largest and longest-established Business Improvement Districts, delivering additional cleaning, safety, and place-making services in the West End of London. Directly comparable as a UK BID with levy-based funding delivering urban improvement services.
• Birmingham BID (Retail BID & City Centre BID): Birmingham city centre BID delivering additional services such as street cleansing, environmental improvements and events. Directly comparable as a UK levy-funded urban improvement district.

Regional players

• Edinburgh BID: Edinburgh's city centre BID operating within Scotland under a similar UK legislative framework, delivering cleaning, safety and marketing services. Geographically distinct from Glasgow but the closest comparator for regulatory and market context.

Others

• British BIDs (industry body): UK-wide industry association representing 341+ active BIDs and over 134,000 levy-paying businesses with £154M+ annual collective investment. Relevant ecosystem participant for benchmarking, sharing best practice and tracking sector-wide performance.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/let-s-go-glasgow-bid
• Instagraminstagram.com/letsgoglasgowbid

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Let's Go Glasgow BID