MALDON Business Group will introduce a new parking that provides shoppers with money back on purchases - and the more participating shops they buy at, the more they get back.

In a bid to support the High Street, Parking Payback aims to provide the public with a 50p cashback incentive on their parking when they spend at participating retailers. The amount customers need to spend in a shop to get the discount will be set by each trader.

Town councillor Michael Pearlman, who is also the founder of Maldon Business Group, said that he aims to make a difference to the High Street by introducing the scheme.

He added: "I founded the group almost three years and we have regular meetings purely with one aim - to make a difference to businesses in the High Street.

"When Maldon District Council heard about our scheme they were enthusiastic about being part of it."

How the scheme works

The new parking meters in the town can issue a receipt. The parking meters will have a Parking Payback sticker on them explaining the scheme. This is where Parking Payback kicks in.

The public can take the receipt into any shop in the High Street displaying the PARKING Payback sticker in the window. The sticker will display the amount of money they need to spend in that particular shop to receive the refund. By showing the parking receipt to the shopkeeper they will receive a refund on their purchase of 50p.

This doesn't just apply to one purchase - they can move on to another shop displaying the sticker. The more they spend in different shops the more money they will receive back.

Cllr Pearlman added: "There has always been some reluctance from the public to pay for parking and Parking Payback gives them a chance to receive money back on their purchases.

Cllr Pearlman says that he plans on visiting all participating businesses on the High Street to provide them with the Parking Payback stickers this week.