BUSINESSES in Brecon have rejected a plan to set up a body that would have been charged with boosting trading conditions in the town.

The Brecon Business Improvement District (BID) would have charged a levy on top of business rates which would have raised £150,000 a year, over the next five years, to be spent on supporting retailers and other businesses.

But following a postal vote that has been open for the past month the idea was rejected by 58 votes to 45. Just 103 ballots were cast with more than 390 properties entitled to a vote.

The total rateable value of businesses supporting the BID, which would have charged a levy on all businesses inside the districts boundary, also need to out value those that voted against.

The total rateable value of those supporting the bid was £1,584,500 compared to a total value of the properties voting against of £446,850.

The money raised from the BID would have been controlled by a committee drawn from local businesses.

The ballot was conduced by Powys County Council and the result declared by returning officer Caroline Turner.

She said: "I hereby declare that the proposal to establish a Business Improvement District for Brecon has not been approved. A majority of the Business ratepayers in the proposed BID area who voted, voted against the proposal, both by aggregate rateable value and numbers voting."

Supporters said most businesses in Brecon would have only had to pay around £1 extra a week on top of their current business rates.