VOTING started on Friday for an issue which will either give the town centre a much-needed boost, or add an unnecessary strain on local businesses, depending on your point of view.

It is crunch time for businesses over whether or not to introduce a Business Improvement District (BID) to Andover town centre, a decision which was half-jokingly dubbed ‘more contentious than Brexit’.

The initiative has been in the pipeline formally for the past year but the heat was turned up over the summer as clashing views over how prosperous it would be for the town saw the establishment of a ‘No’ campaign.

Businesses eligible to cast a vote have 28 days to decide if an Andover BID is the direction they want to take, with advocates saying it will boost the town centre as a place to shop and do business.

For full story see opinions for and against.