Newport Now Business Improvement District manager Kevin Ward with the latest news from the BID.

THE Newport Now Gift Card has proved to be a huge hit with businesses and shoppers in the city centre.

The gift card – organised and funded by Newport Now – can be spent on almost anything, anytime, anywhere in the city centre.

More than 70 city centre businesses have already signed up to accept the card, with shops, restaurants, bars, cafes and theatres all involved.

Gift cards worth more than £4,000 have been sold so far, with more than £1,500 spent to date in 28 different businesses.

The Newport Now Gift Card can be bought online at a dedicated website – newportgiftcard.co.uk – or from Liverton Opticians in Charles Street or the Riverfront Theatre. Stickers are displayed in the windows of the businesses which accept the card.

Meanwhile, BID businesses which have not yet signed up for the card can do so via a quick and easy online process. Just go to newportgiftcard.co.uk/get-involved to book a visit from the BID team. The set-up process takes just five minutes.

Newport City Council is seeking the views of BID members on its plans to amend the Public Space Protection Order for the city centre.

The current PSPO, which outlaws a variety of anti-social behaviours in the city centre, has been in place since 2015 and expires towards the end of this year.

The council is considering a number of new measures in a revised PSPO. These include a potential ban on begging in the city centre, and a possible ban on groups of youths congregating in certain areas.

BID members have received leaflets seeking their views on the PSPO, but you can also have your say via an online survey that can be found here: www. newport.gov.uk/_dc/static/surveys/city_centre_pspo_consultation_2018.htm.