FOLLOWING last week’s Autumn statement I spent time on Friday with some local business leaders in Salisbury to discuss the measures the government has brought forward and the opportunities before us in the city.

I was encouraged by the positive approach adopted by those present and I listened carefully to ongoing frustrations. This Friday I will be chairing a meeting of the Economic Taskforce for Salisbury – bringing together senior officers from Wiltshire Council as well as Baroness Scott, BID, City Council and Area Board representatives in order to keep a focus on the delivery of the big strategic projects for Salisbury.

I hope we will see the outcome of the Regional Growth Fund bid in the next week but we must continue to focus on the challenges of developing Salisbury’s economic and transport infrastructure.

On Tuesday the government announced new proposals on corporate governance in the UK’s largest companies, making sure workers’ voices are heard and delivering on the Prime Minister’s commitment to tackle the issue of executive pay.

The growth of our privately held companies should be celebrated and supported as they are a vital part of our strong economy. We have, however, seen an irresponsible minority of privately-held companies acting carelessly – leaving employees, customers and pension fund beneficiaries to suffer when things go wrong.

The government’s “Green Paper” aims to tackle the issue of executive pay becoming increasingly disconnected from ordinary people, by making executive pay packages subject to binding votes, requiring companies to publish pay ratios that show the difference in earning between the CEO and average employee and improving the effectiveness of remuneration committees.

I believe it is vital that we extend good governance across big business so that everybody plays by the same rules, creating an economy that works more fairly for everyone.

I was pleased to celebrate the success of the RISE:61 charity at St Michael’s Church on Saturday evening. The work of Robin Imeson and an ever growing group of volunteers has had a massive impact on the community and I hope and expect to see this footprint of success grow in the years ahead. Congratulations to all the worthy winners of awards.