Maidstone businesses have voted to pay more in taxes to fund a new town centre improvement scheme.

The results for the Maidstone Business Improvement District (BID) vote were announced just after 12pm today.

A total of 176 business casts their ballots with 135 (77%) in favour of the proposal.

Overall, 476 were eligible to vote.

The County Town now joins Canterbury as the second place in Kent to adopt the scheme.

The successful attempt by One Maidstone at creating the BID will mean all businesses whose business rates exceed £15,000 a year are now required to pay an extra 1.5% levy, in order to fund a private company to promote trade and footfall in the town.

Money raised by the scheme could be used to make sure the town has a Christmas lights display or for aesthetic improvements including floral displays.

Marketing campaigns to promote Maidstone's leisure and food and drink offers are another option while it has been suggests a uniformed presence on the streets such as the town marshals, which have been deployed in the past, could be funded to boost security.

However, by law, the new income cannot be used to provide services which Maidstone Borough Council or Kent County Council are already legally obligated to.