BARROW town centre traders have voted a resounding yes to becoming a Business Improvement District (BID).

It means businesses in the area will be able to raise £800,000 towards improvements over the next five years.

Seventy-seven per cent of those balloted said yes. The turnout was 46.2 percent, which is in line with the national average.

Phil Collier, chairman of Barrow BID steering group, was delighted by the win but believes the real hard work lies ahead. 

He said: "This clearly shows that this town is up for the BID and up for a change. 

"I'm chuffed to bits - this is a result of 18 months hard work from a really committed team of people.

"However, this has only got us this far and the hard work really starts now to drive this town forward."

A BID is a private sector initiative where firms to pay a small levy towards projects aimed at boosting business within a designated area.

All businesses with a rateable value of more than £4,000 will pay a 1.5 percent levy on that value. At the lower end of the scale that equates to just over one pound a week.

That money will then finance improvements to Barrow town centre through marketing and promotion, filling empty units, investing in the town’s evening and night time economy and building partnerships between businesses, organisations and local authorities.

It could also be used to make car parking cheaper.