HUNDREDS of businesses in Liverpool’s commercial district will this week receive their ballot papers ahead of a vote on Business Improvement District (BID) status.

More than 800 ratepayers will be balloted on the BID proposal, which seeks to raise more than £600,000 per year for enhanced marketing, maintenance and physical improvements through a levy equivalent to 1% of rateable value.

The ballot opens on Friday, April 29, and closes four weeks later, on May 27, with a final decision expected three days later.

A team of BID ambassadors has spent the past six months liaising with businesses about the proposals.

An event is being held at Radisson Blu Hotel, on Monday, May 9, offering landlords and tenants the opportunity to answer any remaining questions about BID status.

The application for BID status has been launched by Liverpool Commercial District Partnership (LCDP), which says the planned cuts in public spending have created the need for the city’s private sector to protect the area’s wider interests.

If approved, it would become Liverpool’s second BID area.

Paul Rice, chief executive of Liverpool CDP, said: “Business Improvement Districts have had an enviable record of success in cities around the world, and we are confident that BID status can confer similar benefits on Liverpool’s commercial district.

“We have made every effort to ensure that landlords and tenants across the area are fully aware of the nature of a BID, and we hope that we have established a robust argument in favour of the application.

“I would urge any ratepayer who still has questions or concerns about BID status to contact us or attend our forthcoming event.”

The proposed BID area would be bounded by Leeds Street, in the north, and James Street, in the south, and run from west-east from The Strand to Pall Mall.