BUSINESSES given a second chance to vote for town centre improvements - and a one per cent rate levy to pay for them - have only a few days to make their minds up.

Maidstone Town Centre Management (TCM) is re-running the controversial ballot for a Business Improvement District (BID), a vote that will have implications for towns across the county.

They will be looking carefully at the Maidstone result - thought to be on a knife-edge - before deciding whether to press for their own BID.

A Yes vote in the poll, which closes at 5pm on March 9, will bring an estimated £2.4million to Maidstone, including £250,000 from the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA).

Last year, Maidstone businesses voted narrowly against the proposal. A BID needs a majority of both businesses and rateable value to go ahead.

The No vote was a blow to town centre chiefs who had hoped Maidstone, one of a handful of pilot towns nationwide, would be the first to win BID status.

But opponents objected to a one per cent business rates levy amid claims - denied by the TCM - that their extra cash would have funded projects that should be paid for by Maidstone Council.

When TCM bosses decided to re-run the vote, they reduced the number of voting businesses to 750, partly by raising the minimum rateable value threshhold to £7,000.

They also re-drew the BID area boundaries. But this has provoked accusations of gerrymandering.

Fierce BID critic Martin Howes, a chartered surveyor with MKH Clokes, is no longer eligible to vote, but he is still against the scheme.

"It’s complete gerrymandering to re-draw the boundaries just because they lost the vote last time," he said.

"The amount of money it will raise will not make any significant difference and the services proposed should be funded out of our rates."

He admits a Yes vote last time would have cost him only £100 a year. But it was another expense that businesses could not afford.

"It’s like a turkey voting for Christmas. You’re voting for a tax rise."

He warned that a BID would raise costs and drive businesses out of the town centre.

Bill Moss, town centre manager, denied the gerrymandering claim, saying the boundaries had been redrawn to meet requests from businesses.

It was not to keep Mr Howes out. "Complete and utter total nonsense," he said. He accused Mr Howes of a crass lack of understanding about the BID. He insisted the levy would not pay for things the council should fund.

The extra money would go towards many services, including Police Community Support Officers, new signage, improved lighting. deep cleaning of streets, promotion campaigns, more public seating and winter planting of flower baskets.

"Mr Howes should be jumping up and down with joy saying, 'Well done TCM because you’re actually doing something,’," said Mr Moss. "If we get a No vote, the SEEDA money will go to some other town. This is what Mr Howes is putting at risk through all his negativity."

Blair Gulland, a senior partner with Gullands Solicitors and a former critic, has changed his mind. He said: "This BID proposal has my full backing."

Elaine Craven, boss of Earl Street Employment, added: "It’s good for business, good for Maidstone and good for me."

Mr Moss said more than 200 votes had been received so far and he hoped many more would vote before the March 9 deadline.