NO complacency, but it does seem the economy is moving from rescue to recovery.

Some of the indicators may not be entirely welcome – rising house prices for example are not good news for first time buyers – but they do suggest an economy that is bouncing back after a long period of stagnation or decline.

However, the essential challenges to our relative prosperity have not gone away. It is vital we continue to contain public spending and place the UK in a competitive tax space, in short reverse the unsustainable shift to state control of the economy that lay at the heart of Gordon Brown’s philosophy.

Much improved crime figures are welcome indeed. Some of this has to be attributed to police service reforms. The shift towards smarter policing over several years has involved quite a lot that has been bitterly contested. For example, closure of police stations and pooling of resources across police administrative boundaries. It is too early to determine the impact of police and crime commissioners but our Wiltshire commissioner has certainly been energetic.

The NHS is a treasured national institution. But I am increasingly sensing that people are looking beyond the affection we all have for it and asking how healthcare can be delivered better. I have to say that I have been entirely satisfied by the service my family has recently had but I have had frustration expressed through my constituency mailbag. This seems largely when people appear to be pushed from pillar to post, getting the sense they are being treated as cases rather than people.

I think in some areas there does need to be a greater emphasis on personal care and a shift in attitude so that patients feel the service is there to address their individual needs