PLANS to help breathe new life into flagging town centres have been given the go-ahead.

Braintree Council cabinet leaders have appointed a town centre development manager for Braintree, Witham and Halstead, who will be tasked with getting new businesses in and attracting more visitors.

The manager will be employed for 12 months initially and will have a salary of up to £42,000.

Leader Graham Butland, speaking after Tuesday’s meeting, said: “There is a clear need to attract more customers and to improve their experience of shopping in our towns.

“We want to work more closely with all retailers, especially the independent local shops which have so much to offer and contribute such a difference to each town.”

Nigel Harley, councillor responsible for enterprise and culture, acknowledged some business leaders felt it was a challenging job for one person who would find it difficult to remain neutral dealing with three towns that competed with each other.

The council says its decision is backed by research supporting the importance of town centres in the quality of life of local communities.

Mr Butland added: “Market days are also a vital attraction and there’s a great opportunity to improve them for the benefit of shoppers, traders and town centre retailers. Yet they can be just as vulnerable to out of town shopping trends.

“We want to take an active role in encouraging and renewing our traditional markets.”