BUSINESSES in Darlington have saved more than £30,000 on services and utilities thanks to a new procurement initiative.

The town centre retailers are all independently owned and lie within the business improvement district (BID) overseen by Distinct Darlington.

Distinct Darlington said bills for services such as energy and telecoms had been slashed after the organisation joined forces with BID procurement specialist Meercat Associates Ltd.

By using the collective purchasing power of the businesses within the Darlington business improvement district, Meercat Associates negotiated reduced bills for traders.

Among those saving money is Nicola Reading, owner of Bliss Gifts, at Duke Street.

She said: “I’ve saved £700 on my utility bills since the scheme started in June 2014, which has made a considerable difference to me.

“I pay an annual charge of around £200 to be a member of the Business Improvement District and so the savings I have made more than offset that levy.”

Alex Hirst, manager of Distinct Darlington, said: “This initiative is part of our promise to town centre businesses to seek to make the BID levy cost-neutral to as many businesses as possible.

“So far, for every £1 we have spent on implementing this initiative, we have saved businesses around £6 – and, obviously, we are delighted with that result.”

The Bid was introduced in Darlington in 2012 after a vote among traders within a defined town centre zone.