ANTI-BID voices share concern over the strain of paying the levy, a feeling of insufficient business proposals coming from project chiefs and claims of a lack of a democratic process and consultation with businesses.

Tensions have been rising ahead of the vote with the ‘No’ campaign officially set up in frustration at how the consultation process has been handled.

Patrick Langdown, of Langdown Estates, who owns a number of properties and empty units in the town centre, said: “We have never been contacted by anybody [other than] disgruntled tenants coming to us.

“This is not a democratic process, it is bordering on criminal.”

READ: BID backers see plan as positive boost for town

International Furniture boss Kevin Farrer added: “How can you possibly take this to ballot when there is a fundamental flaw in the process of going round letting people know what is going on and the amount of people who don’t know what is going on?”

Scepticism also lies in how the boundary map was drawn to include stakeholders such as The Lights and Andover College, while Asda was left out of the equation.

Mooch owner Georgina Roberts added: “Asda vote ‘No’ nationally, it’s a major employer to the town and they have been excluded. We have to say why?”

Toy Thapa, from Kathmandu Variety Foods, in Bridge Street, said he had only heard about the BID through two friends, and is particularly concerned with the impact a two per cent levy could have on smaller businesses.

Mr Thapa said: “The way they handled it - is a good intention but they have not handled it well. They are doing it in a small circle of ‘yes’ voters, not including [all] businesses in town.

“Don’t chase away struggling businesses with more taxes.”

For him, the answer to helping boost town centre business would be seen through rate relief rather than initiatives put forward by the BID.

‘No’ activists are self-funding their campaign rather than having funding available to counter arguments for the BID.

One sympathetic stranger however has donated £50 to the cause.

Tot City bosses Louise Benning and Ronelle Wiid also staunchly oppose the concept.

Ms Wiid said: “This unit had been closed for four years before we moved in here.

“By putting our money, time and effort we are contributing to the regeneration of the town.

“They can’t be slapping another tax on us, that is in effect what it is.

“Test Valley Borough Council have been very amenable, and the Chantry Centre as well to negotiations, they should be doing more of that; encouraging more businesses to come as grassroots, make deals with people willing to come into town and make it affordable for them.”

Mr Farrer said he has to generate £8,952 to make £1,000 profit, which is how much the BID levy would cost him a year.

He said: “That is a big ask, it is a huge ask.

“Do they realise how hard business is? This is the toughest years in retail I have had in 30 years and imposing a two per cent levy on us? We’re best off keeping money in our pocket, all we are doing right now is surviving.”

Citing efforts such as putting on one event in the Upper High Street in the first six months of BID’s operations, and the amount of money raised annually from the BID, Mr Farrer and fellow ‘No’ voters do not believe is enough to make significant improvements to the town to warrant the levy.

Ms Roberts added: “If I went to the bank with a business plan like that I would get laughed out of the bank.

“I wrote my business plan 24 years ago, projections exactly how I was going to grow the business, there is nothing there. Just a lot of empty promises.”

‘No’ voters argue many of the proposals laid out in the BID’s plan are already being done by the Andover Town Centre Partnership, which will cease to exist if a BID is installed with the company then taking on its responsibilities.

Andover Town Centre Partnership is currently funded by Test Valley Borough and Andover Town councils.

‘No’ campaigner and community group founder of Our Andover, David Coole, said: “Everything on there [the business plan] is done by Andover Town Centre Partnership. If BID goes ahead we’ll pay for what it does.

“The problem with Andover town centre is not lack of events, or lack of promotion, it is what isn’t on offer, we don’t have the right shops that people want to come into town to use.

“Until we get that right we will never increase footfall throughout the week.

“Everyone has a role to play in ensuring the town centre’s success not just 252 businesses many of which are struggling financially.”

The ‘No’ camp is also hoping like the ‘Yes’ side, that as many businesses will use their vote as possible, as there is no minimum threshold needed for voter turnout.

The outcome will be decided by two criteria; there must be a majority of the number of votes cast, followed by a majority of the rateable value of votes cast.

Voting continues until November 8. Ballots can be returned by post or can be posted in a ballot box which is positioned in Andover Library.