BID chairman Martin Hannah hits back at critics

Martin Hannah told the Gazette that he would listen to the individual concerns of town centre shop owners worried about how exactly they will benefit from paying an annual levy of hundreds of pounds to be part of an overall regeneration package for Carluke.

“We are inviting people to tell us what they need to improve their shops,” said Martin, boss of The Bubbles Factory in Hamilton Street.

“That could be physical improvements to their shop, assistance in launching their own website or pointing them in the direction of new funding opportunities.”

As reported in the Gazette, Elizabeth Stewart, owner of High Street store Bargain Land, said that her business faced imminent closure due to the financial pressures of being asked to pay an annual BID levy of £500.

For more on this story pick up a copy of this week’s Carluke and Lanark Gazette, which is in the shops now.