Carmarthen firms take legal action to scrap town centre plan

Many Carmarthen businesses do not want to be part of the venture

More than 50 firms have issued a legal challenge after being asked to pay for a business improvement district they did not want to be part of.

The Carmarthen BID was established in March 2020 with the backing of 130 businesses, the county council said.

Firms are expected to pay a percentage of their rateable value to improve trading conditions in the town centre.

However, many businesses said they were denied the chance to vote for the scheme by Carmarthenshire council.

They claimed a "significant issue" with the council and Valuation Office Agency's postal directory meant they never received their ballot for the vote to establish the BID.

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Now they want the Welsh government to declare the ballot null and void and the Carmarthen BID scrapped.

The scheme was expected to raise at least £165,000 in order to raise the profile of the town, improve parking, cut the number of empty properties and raise profitability.

But businesses were also unhappy after being billed for work after three months of lockdown.

Solicitor Rhodri Griffiths, representing the group of businesses, said Carmarthen BID had previously admitted that postal issues at the council "have been a problem they have faced in recovering their contributions".

More than 50 businesses were represented at Llanelli Magistrates' Court on Monday

He added: "It is the same directory and system that was used to post the ballot at the very beginning of the vote.

"Our clients have confirmed that they never received their ballot and were denied a vote due the same postal issues. That issue is why the BID should be voided and a fair democratic process should prevail."

The court agreed to adjourn 36 cases and any unpaid charges for three months at Llanelli Magistrates' Court.

Carmarthen BID has been asked to respond.

Carmarthenshire council, which acts as the collection agent for levies paid, said there was "no legal basis" to consider any action against the ballot.