BREAKAWAY bosses bidding to set up a new business group for Maidstone are having a crunch meeting with their main rival.

The embryonic Maidstone Voice for Business, an organisation that may replace the defunct Maidstone and Mid Kent Chamber of Commerce, has won widespread backing.

Some chamber members are unhappy with plans by Ashford chamber to take over the services of Maidstone chamber but not its debts, estimated at between £20,000 and £50,000.

They believe the county town should be able to run its own chamber of commerce without outside help.

However, Voice leaders are meeting Chris Capron, chief executive of the profitable Ashford chamber, at a meeting in Maidstone tomorrow before they take a final decision.

That decision has to be made by 3pm on Friday November 21 when an extraordinary meeting at the law firm Brachers will decide the fate of Maidstone chamber and the future of business representation in the county town.

Chamber directors have recommended liquidation and approval for Ashford to take over member services.

Voice spokesman Peter Edwards said: "Before we decided to go full pelt towards trying to launch something ourselves, we ought to at least listen to what Ashford have in mind. If he answers all our questions satisfactorily, we may do a rethink on it."

Mr Capron has already called on the rebels to back off, saying that setting up a new organisation would provoke a damaging split.

Meanwhile, one of Maidstone chamber's biggest creditors has given his support to the Voice.

David Schwarz, managing director of dws print services which is owed at least £5,000, praised them. "It's a good idea," he said. "At least someone is doing something."

He claimed Ashford was only interested in "cherry-picking" by taking on members but not debts.

"We don't think you can have one without the other," he said. "It makes a mockery of what a chamber of commerce is all about.

"Having boasted of holding such a large surplus of funds, surely the right way to deal with the matter would be for the Ashford chamber to take over the whole operation including discharge the liabilities of the Maidstone Chamber."

He blamed the demise of Maidstone chamber on management that was "a bit of a shambles" and said chamber directors should be personally liable for payment of the debts.