Restaurant owner angry over costly dispute with Melton BID
The owner of an award-winning Melton Mowbray restaurant says a dispute with the town organisation tasked with helping build and support the local economy is putting his business at risk.
Atul Dawda opened SOI Indian Restaurant back in 2018 and he has established a strong reputation culminating this week in being named the county’s ‘best fine dining restaurant’ at the Leicestershire Curry Awards 2025.
But Mr Dawda has resisted contributing to the Melton BID group because he considers his restaurant is on the outskirts of the town centre and doesn’t benefit from the services it provides to stimulate trade.
A backlog in overdue annual levy payments to the BID totalling nearly £4,500 was accrued by the restaurant, prompting the BID to take legal action to recover the money.
The BID say it was unfair that SOI was benefiting from its ‘wider strategy’ for free while other town businesses were helping funding it.
Mr Dawda says he’s started paying back the money by instalments but he feels he is being treated unfairly and the court action is putting ‘unneccesary pressure’ on his business.
“I am angry about this because we are out of the town centre in Greenslade and we are not getting benefits from the BID,” Mr Dawda told the Melton Times.
"We’ve come through Covid and the cost of everything is going up so I want to be able to spend the money on marketing where it helps our business.
"I feel like I’m being held to ransom with having to pay the BID – it’s like having to pay protection money to gangsters.
"It would be easy to close up but I have 12 members of staff who work here and lots of customers who would be very unhappy,”
In response, James Colclough, manager of Melton BID, told us: “The business in question has not paid the BID levy since 2018.
"This has led to the accumulation of a debt which, despite our repeated engagement and explanation of the value brought by Melton BID, remains unpaid.
"The BID board, comprising of BID businesses and local authority nominees, agreed that it was in the interests of businesses to collect the debt, as with any other overdue account.
"There has been ample opportunity in the last seven years for this business to bring their account up to date.
"The annual BID levy for this business could easily be recouped in BID benefits should they choose to engage, including business support such as the BID Recycling Service, Small Improvements Grant, SMART Radio, Melton Business Connect and more.
"Continuingly ignoring the debt and benefiting from the wider BID strategy and projects whilst other businesses pay, has left the board no choice but to take the enforcement route.”
Nearly 500 businesses on 35 streets pay into Melton BID and the aim is to collaborate on issues which benefit the local economy – it invests £165k a year into the town centre.
A spokesperson for Melton Borough Council, which is a strategic partner of the BID, commented: "Under government legislation, all businesses located within the Business Improvement District (BID) are required to pay the levy, and non-payment may result in legal action.
"The BID levy plays a vital role in enabling initiatives that directly benefit town centre business and strengthen the local economy.”