DESPITE Edward Kirk’s calls for Chippenham BID to be discontinued, there are plenty of businesses in the town who still champion the scheme, including an owner of a local estate agent.

READ AGAIN: Business owner calls for BID to be axed 

Antony Bulley, who is one of the owners at Strakers, an estate agent that has been a fixture in Market Place for 20 years, still thinks Chippenham is better for the BID.

He said: “I have always had the opinion that the BID makes Chippenham a better place.

“With the BID in place, Chippenham has a very bright future ahead of it.

“It is trying to transform the High Street so it is a better environment, better for shoppers and has better footfall.

“Our high street, like many high streets in the country, still needs all the help it can get, and the BID will do this I’m sure.

“They have only been in the town for one term, I think BID protesters need to give it a bit more chance before they call for it to be stopped.

“It’s important to say, with the BID there is £1.6m that would otherwise not be invested into the town, the events the BID organise would not have happened.”