Under BID legislation the BID must hold a ballot to all members to establish whether they wish to renew the BID arrangements for a further five years or wind the BID company up.

The results of the ballot were announced today, with 153 votes in favour of renewing the BID arrangements and 40 against.

Councillor Robert Brown, chair of the council’s Community and Enterprise Resources Committee said: “I am delighted that businesses within the Hamilton BID have voted to renew the BID arrangements for another five years.

“Since the BID first came into being back in 2012, it has successfully delivered its business plans to support and improve Hamilton Town Centre.

“And as well as a variety of business initiatives, over the years the town has benefitted from a wide range of events including the Christmas Lights Switch Ons, Ready Steady Gallop, The Big Stampede, a Classic Car event, “Spring into Hamilton” and Real Radio campaigns.

“I look forward to seeing what plans they have in place for the next five years.”

A Business Improvement District (BID) is a geographically defined area, where businesses come together and agree to invest collectively in projects and services the businesses believe will improve their trading environment.