While there still remain significant challenges to our way of life as we work to beat Covid-19, it is encouraging to see how our local business community is showing great resilience, working together and adapting to survive and prosper in the future. Monday was the beginning of the ‘Eat out to help out scheme’ and we will be personally doing all we can to support that Government initiative with great enthusiasm!

As your local resident Conservative district councillors, we were delighted to see that Witham Industrial Watch was given £7,500 from central Government, facilitated by Braintree District Council.

Witham Industrial Watch (WIW) has been introducing measures to improve the security and working environment for businesses and employees on Witham’s industrial estates for more than ten years.

The non-profit organisation alerts businesses to suspicious activity, installs and maintains CCTV cameras to deter criminals and provides the police with intelligence and footage to investigate crimes.

The organisation has also made the business community safer by installing defibrillators and increasing signage to help with the speed and flow of traffic.

WIW is the only Business Improvement District (BID) in the District of Braintree and we would like to see this extremely success way of working replicated across our area.

They are a tremendous example of business communities working together and are a fantastically dedicated team. This approach is really needed during this period of Covid recovery and even more so in a new normal post-Covid.

As we continue to collectively battle Covid- 19, your local district council and we as your local members are here to help.

Please do not hesitate to contact us – our details can be found at www.braintree.gov.uk.

Other information can be found at www.braintree.gov.uk/corona virus or contact ecodev@braintree.gov.uk for advice to support your business.

Councillors David Bebb, James Coleridge, Charley Dervish, Patrick Horner, Angela Kilmartin, Ron Ramage, Bill Rose, Sue Wilson