A new 'click and collect' scheme for independent businesses will go live in Maldon this spring.

'Click It Local' is a new service to allow independent businesses access to click and collect and delivery and is one of four projects being rolled out to help businesses in this part of Essex get back on their feet as the economy re-opens after lockdown.

Maldon District Council will pay for local businesses to be subscribed to the service for the first six months, after which time they will be asked to pay 7.5 per cent commission on sales.

Councillor Wendy Stamp, leader of Maldon District Council, said: "High streets and independent retailers have had it tough going during the pandemic, especially during

lockdowns, so this initiative will help them to get back on their feet and open up another market for them to sell their products."

NEEB is a partnership of local authorities in the area: Maldon, Braintree, Tendring and Uttlesford district councils, Colchester Borough Council, Chelmsford City Council and Essex County Council.

An e-commerce platform, Click It Local allows local independent shops to showcase their products to customers in the area. Shoppers can then buy items online – from multiple outlets – and have them delivered in one package, or 'click and collect' themselves.

Under the scheme Click It Local will collect sold items from local businesses and take them to a hub, where customers' orders are packaged up before delivery. As part of the expansion, new hubs will be set up in Chelmsford and Colchester, while additional staff are being taken on.

Click It Local has been running in Uttlesford since November 2020, where it has already been a big success.

Steve Koch, founder of Click It Local, said: "I love shopping locally so wanted to find a way to help small shops offer the same level of speed and convenience that today's online customers have come to expect.

"Our aim is to ensure we can all continue to shop local, support independent shops and provide for the local community."

Long-term the NEEB member councils have committed to working together to promote economic growth across the region.