BID is dividing our town.

After talking to local businesses it’s clear to me rather than bring people, councils, and our towns struggling businesses together, the process of this BID is actually creating divisions that we really don’t need.

Andover Town Council — via a motion put forward by Lib Dem Cllr Len Gates — recently voted to support the BID which concerns me a great deal, as I believe councils should not seek to influence votes. I spoke quite clearly at a recent meeting that the council should not declare support one way or the other. However I was alone in opposing the council supporting the BID.

I am neither for nor against the BID (that decision I leave to the hard-working people that run local businesses who will have to pay the extra tax). What I have done is ask questions relating to this issue and try to represent the concerns of local businesses.

I see this as the job of a local and truly independent councillor.

I do have to ask though is the BID yet another tax on Andover to compensate for our town being treated like the poor man of the Test Valley?

A constructive alternative to the BID would be to create a not-for-profit Community Interest Company (CIC) in which our towns residents, businesses, and our councils contribute towards its defined goals to help improve our town, which is clearly in need of all our support.

Let’s park these divisive plans for a BID and all work together to help improve our struggling town. Let’s put our town first, before party politics.

Cllr Richard Rowles, Andover.