THERE are signs Fremantle’s BID (Business Improvement District) is in trouble, with the chamber of commerce CEO pulling out “because it’s clearly not working”.

Formerly enthusiastic about the BID’s potential to spearhead a retail revival, Tim Milsom confirmed to the Herald he’d resigned from the board in January as he’d lost confidence in the organisation succeeding in its current form: “This thing was set up by Andrew Eastick, the former [council] economic development manager, and the model has to be questioned when you take into consideration the money being put in by businesses compared to the overheads,” he said.

Operating costs are about half the annual $350,000 budget, derived from a differential rate levied on CBD businesses. As a rule of thumb operating costs should be no more than one-third of revenue.

Mr Milsom is keen to speak to the chamber before expanding further on his views, but he did confirm he’d raised the issue with mayor Brad Pettitt and it’s likely to be the subject of chats between the pair when they fly to Japan next week for a tour of Asian waste treatment plants.

According to BID executive manager Kim Low, Mr Milsom resigned “because his schedule is too busy”.

Negotiations are under way with two new board members, “but they haven’t been finalised so I can’t comment on them as yet”.