Paul Reach, of Swannaton Road, Dartmouth, writes: Just to put the record straight regarding some of last week's letters and comments about the BID l must point out that the letter from Joe Murtagh was inaccurate on several points. Firstly, I did not know about the printed levy error in the Business plan until April 2014 when I discovered it. This is 5 months after the vote which took place throughout November 2013. When I discovered the error I immediately took legal advice from Mosaic, our BID consultants, and they consulted their lawyers who came back after five days with the specific instructions that the BID was voted for on the basis of the £173,000 investment plan and must deliver that plan or face a legal challenge. They also stated that a legal challenge would probably fail because the levy error was a genuine printing mistake and the correct levy rates were used in all of the consultation meetings with businesses held in the town. I immediately informed both Francesca Johnson and Phil Scoble the BID manager that this was the legal position for the BID Company and that we must maintain the levy rates required to fulfil the plan. Based on the fact that many BIDs can demonstrate that the levy investment in the town can produce a 10 times return in value to the businesses then I was happy to follow this recommended route. I accept that the BID Boards decision in June 2014 to announce the reduction of the lower levy rates was well intentioned but ill-advised, and I was not present at the Board meeting where this decision took place. The result has been damaging for the BID's reputation but does not detract in any way from the benefits that the BID could bring to the town. The levy non-payers have now delayed the BID from important investments in signage and I am particularly disappointed that no action has been possible to encourage new non-tourist businesses to locate in Dartmouth. Ribeye continue to demonstrate that you can run a successful international business from the town, but we need more businesses like this to reduce our dependence on tourism and encourage year round employment. As for Councillor Chillcott's comments about retailers getting off their backsides!! I have heard this comment many times, mostly from people who have never experienced the trials and tribulations of running a retail business in Dartmouth. The challenging environment includes some of the most expensive business rates in the country, seasonal variations that are very difficult to manage in terms of staffing and stock levels and variable weather that can have a dramatic impact on visitor numbers. Parking is a major issue and I know because I spent 18 months chairing the last Council Traffic and Parking group that tried to solve this problem. We even got as far as a recommendation that was supported by 51 per cent of the residents of Dartmouth who responded to our survey. However when it comes to making contentious decisions (which included pay and display to help fund the Park and Ride) then the decision makers are risk averse, so the council did not adopt the recommendations, resulting in today's threat to the Park and Ride opening season. Many of the independent traders are one man/woman businesses so opening all hours means a gruelling working week with admin to be done at home out of hours. My recommendation to Cllr Chillcott – never underestimate the effort most of our traders put in to keep Dartmouth a vibrant and interesting place to visit. The regular customers of our gallery came to our exhibitions from all over the country and I am sure this is true for many of the businesses in town. Finally, and despite the bad press the BID seems to generate, I am absolutely sure that the BID will benefit the town in the long term, but the value of that benefit will be increased dramatically if every levy payer gets behind the BID and makes sure it delivers the benefits that will have the biggest impact on their business. That includes the Town Council. However it is very important that Dartmouth retailers come forward to serve as Directors on the BID Board. Retail represents 41 per cent of the levy income for the BID Company and today there is not one retailer on the Board. So if you want a voice in the BID you must act to change that. Look out for the announcements from the BID as the existing Board must all resign and an election must take place before the end of the first year, i.e. March 1. This can legally be extended by three months so keep watching. I am proud of what I did to create this opportunity, but it is up to the traders to make the most of it as it is under their control.