Epsom businesses votes overwhelmingly in favour for a BID – Business Improvement District – in the town centre and up to the racecourse.

The ballot closed at 5pm on Wednesday (December 13) and, of the 136 ballots cast, 116 voted in favour giving an 85 per cent majority.

This means local businesses have backed a plan to raise £1.5m for the town, cause for celebration for the steering group who spent 12 months campaigning.

Laura Sims, chairwoman of the BID project, said: “I am absolutely delighted so many businesses have backed the plans that we put together.

"I would like to thank everyone who has supported these proposals, the voters first and foremost, but also the other members of the steering group who have put in hundreds of hours of work.”

The BID will be introduced in April next year, with the pooled money being used for marketing and special events to draw people into the town and make it a livelier place to shop.

The turnout for the vote was 37 per cent, only slightly behind the national average of 40 per cent for a BID vote.

The frantic nature of Christmas was expected to impact the vote, with some business owners allegedly losing the ballot paper or not having time to send it.

Councillor Eber Kington, chairman of the council’s strategy and resources committee, said: “This is a new and exciting chapter in the story of Epsom. The town is a vibrant mix of different businesses and their commitment and willingness to work together has been key to this vote.

“I now look forward to seeing the innovative ideas within the BID Business Plan being developed and put into practice in the town centre over the coming months and years.”