The district has a lot to be pleased about with the figure for Job Seekers Allowance claimants, now the lowest since records began.

By December only 393 people were claiming Job Seekers Allowance, a fall of 271 people from 2013 and a drop of 43 from November.

This equates to only 1.3% of men and 0.8% of women in the district receiving the payment.

Senior business development manager for Essex JobCentre Plus, Dave Cope, said: “Looking at Maldon, the figures are down considerably, they are very low.

“We have seen a stark decrease in figures over the last few months.

“Not long ago, in April 2010, figures were over 1,000 at 1,033.

“The economic recovery plays a large part, although Maldon has issues because it’s a rural area, it does have a buoyant economy with lots and lots going on.

“There is a lot of work going.”