Julie Reader-Sullivan, former chief executive of Headway Gloucestershire, will lead the town centre business levy body after Fran Inman steps down in September.
Cheltenham BID has a new chief executive. The board of the business improvement district has appointed Julie Reader-Sullivan to lead the organisation that town centre businesses pay a levy to fund. (Cheltenham BID, 3 September 2026)
She replaces Fran Inman, who joined from Bristol BIDs in May 2024 and steps down at the end of September. The BID said she is beginning “a new chapter overseas”. (Cheltenham BID, 2 July 2026)
Who she is
Julie Reader-Sullivan was most recently chief executive of Headway Gloucestershire. The BID says she has also held senior leadership roles in planning, growth and economic development. The announcement does not give a start date.
In a joint statement, chair Alex Rose and Fran Inman said the appointment followed “a comprehensive recruitment process”.
Julie Reader-Sullivan said she would spend her early time “listening, learning and understanding how Cheltenham BID can continue to support and champion the business community”. She added that she would “work collaboratively with partners to help shape the town’s future success”.
What the BID is, and who pays for it
A business improvement district is a not-for-profit company set up after a ballot of local businesses. Once a ballot passes, every business in the defined area pays the levy, whether or not it voted. (Cheltenham BID, what is a BID)
The Cheltenham levy works like this:
- Rate: 1.3% of a property’s rateable value
- Lower rate: 1.04% for tenants in service-charged centres
- Charities: 1% for non-retail charities with no trading income
- Threshold: only premises with a rateable value of £15,000 or more pay
- When: one instalment, due on 1 April
- Collected by: Cheltenham Borough Council, as the BID’s collection agent
The same page says the BID received a £40,000 grant from the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner. It paid for cleansing, graffiti removal and new safety lighting.
What she inherits
The biggest piece of unfinished work is the future of the High Street and the Promenade. Cheltenham BID, Cheltenham Borough Council and Gloucestershire County Council ran a six-week public engagement on the two streets, which closed on 20 July. It drew 945 survey responses. (Cheltenham BID, 22 July 2026)
The survey covered paving, lighting, trees, seating, signage and accessibility. Three themes came out of it:
- fix the basics: paving, cleanliness and maintenance
- improve how the streets look: greenery and consistency
- help bring life back: shops, activity and vibrancy
Cllr Mark Harris, the county council’s cabinet member for highways, said the feedback would be reviewed “before considering how it can be incorporated into future proposals”. He said it would also strengthen future funding bids. The announcement published no designs, costs or timetable.
Fran Inman oversaw the renewal ballot that gave the BID a further five-year term, according to the BID’s July announcement. She also launched enhanced street cleansing.
What it means for you
- If you run a town centre business with a rateable value of £15,000 or more, you pay for the BID. A new chief executive who says she wants to listen first is a chance to raise what you want the levy spent on.
- If you use the High Street or the Promenade, the plans shaped by those 945 responses are still to come. The new chief executive will be one of the people taking them forward.
- If you drive into town, parking in the council’s car parks is a separate matter run by the borough. Our Cheltenham parking page has every car park and tariff.
Have your say