THIS time last week, many parents will have had an enforced day off work due to the teachers’ strike.

For my own part, I was pleased to accept an invitation from a group of non-striking teachers to discuss their concerns in person; concerns that I raised with the Secretary of State in a letter on Friday afternoon.

I acknowledge that the way in which some of Michael Gove’s proposals have been represented can come across as unnecessarily provocative, leading many teachers to hear his plans as an all-out rubbishing of what has gone before.

Issues of style and presentation aside, I think the vast majority of parents agree with the underlying aspiration – to raise standards.

Change is always uncomfortable and Mr Gove’s expectations are nothing if not ambitious.

However, at a time when the OECD announced again this month that the literacy and numeracy skills of our young people are some of the worst in the developed world, ranking just three places from the bottom in maths, change remains vital if our young people are to compete successfully on the international stage. The aim of enabling all children to leave school with a reliable level of attainment is the right one and I think it is well worth setting out realistic goals to achieve those aims.

Meanwhile, it has been extremely pleasing to hear of the positive steps being taken in Salisbury’s BID.

Making the city centre a Business Improvement District will not only unlock substantial investment but will enable it to be spent in the ways that the local business community wants and needs – both promoting Salisbury to visitors and addressing ongoing practical issues that affect the shopping experience here.

If the experience of other BID districts is anything to go by, we can look forward to effective initiatives that will be hugely valuable to Salisbury in the run-up to Christmas and far beyond.

There is significant scope for these initiatives to go handin- hand with the opportunity presented by the ongoing review of parking charges and we must keep up the pressure with Wiltshire Council and Salisbury City Council to enable both to respond constructively in developing an overall parking charge regime that helps to bring increased footfall to our city.