00:00 The bid was established by City Centre businesses in 2009.
00:04 And what it is ultimately is businesses coming together to pay a little extra money on their business rates,
00:11 pooling that collectively to address common problems, issues in the City Centre,
00:18 or indeed grass-pooled of opportunities.
00:21 Historically we've operated in three core areas,
00:25 which is providing a stronger voice for business, lobbying, advocating on their behalf,
00:30 attracting and promoting, you know, those big events like Magic Weekend at St James' Park,
00:36 to Restaurant Week, and those operational elements, the city environments,
00:43 that's cleaner, greener and safer, so we have a rapid response, clean team,
00:47 and our team of street rangers who are out in the City Centre as well.
00:52 In the bid document, anyone have said that 347,000 visitors attend events delivered by or supported by anyone every year.
01:02 One of the main pillars that is also part of the bid is giving businesses a voice.
01:06 Well we've been consulting on our next five-year term.
01:10 I think definitely businesses are very positive about the amount of investment,
01:16 public and private sector, that's coming into the City Centre.
01:19 They're really positive about that.
01:21 There's a lot of comments coming back around the city environment,
01:26 anti-social behaviour, the cleanliness of the city, you know, how clean is it, how safe does it feel.
01:33 But equally that is measured with commercial opportunities in the future,
01:38 so the Gatehead Conference and Exhibition Centre,
01:41 businesses on the Quayside are really enthusiastic about that.
01:45 You've got the works continuing on Pilgrim Street, which again will have a huge impact,
01:52 those 15,000 employees that will be housed in the site by 2027.
01:57 So I think there's a lot of opportunities, but it's a good time for asking ourselves a question as a city,
02:02 are we actually set up and best placed to take advantage of these opportunities to stimulate economic growth, drive employment and jobs?
02:13 With a lot of change happening in the city over the next five years,
02:17 anyone have said it's important to use the time to plan ahead
02:20 and to make sure that they can work with their partners to make Newcastle the best it can be.
02:24 I think it'll be a really important five years,
02:28 not least because there's a lot of new things landing at the same time.
02:31 It's really positive, but it comes with growing pains as well, doesn't it?
02:37 You know, more people in the City Centre means more rubbish, more waste, things like that.
02:42 So ultimately it's a time for us to reflect on what will be happening moving forward,
02:49 so we can plan adequately for that five years and we can work with partners like the City Council
02:54 and the police in a strategic way to deliver a City Centre that people want to live, work and socialise in.
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