EVENTS at Westminster last week were dominated by the Budget statement, which was particularly good news for savers and those close to retirement.

The centrepiece announcement was that traditional restrictions on pensions are to be relaxed. Previously, people who saved for retirement were forced to pay very high levels of tax if they took their pension as a lump sum, or to buy an investment product that delivered very poor levels of return due to low interest rates.

The Budget has transformed this, and has given people substantially more choice about what to do with their own money. It will now be possible to take more as a lump sum to invest it, or to purchase a new pensioner bond, which will offer a stable income at better rates than are currently available.

The principle is sound: you have worked for it, you have saved it, and you should be able to decide how to spend it. This is a significant step forward that will transform the pensions market.

The other key policy put forward was the increase in the personal allowance. This means the amount you earn before paying tax will be £10,500 – a tax cut for some 25 million people nationally. It also lifts almost 500 people in the Salisbury constituency alone out of tax altogether.

Reducing the burden of tax is the surest way to make sure people keep more of the money they earn. The same principle applies in businesses, and I am pleased the Government has doubled the amount businesses can invest before paying tax.

Back in the constituency, it has been a particularly hectic week.

On Friday, I met with a group of secondary headteachers of the Wessex Partnership to discuss education matters within the constituency, followed by Alabaré’s annual sleep out.

On Sunday afternoon I attended the High Sheriff’s Service to Celebrate the Rule of Law in the cathedral, followed by a visit to the City Hall to hear Salisbury Area Young Musicians (SAYM) in concert.

It was so good to see Rosemary Squires, who, as SAYM’s patron has given so much to music and culture in Salisbury, Wiltshire and way beyond throughout her life – a Salisbury legend.