WITH the Christmas lights on in the city centre and the Christmas market established and looking better than ever, Salisbury is already gearing up for the festive season.

I am one of many looking forward to starting my own preparations with the annual Darkness to Light service at the Cathedral.

Of course, local businesses are already working flat out preparing for their busiest time of year. Recognising the importance of the hospitality sector in Salisbury, I have accepted an invitation from several local restaurants to meet their staff and learn more about how they are contributing to the local economy.

It was great to see such a good turnout of business leaders at my budget breakfast briefing last week, hosted by Moore Stephens.

Confidence is key to productivity and to keeping the country competitive in the world and, while there were many opinions and questions about the challenges that lie ahead, it was encouraging to see so much energy and optimism in the room.

As expected, one of the main headlines of this year’s budget was the government’s determination to bear down on the national housing shortage and get Britain building.

This is relevant in Salisbury, which is currently ranked in the top ten most unaffordable places to live in the whole country.

We urgently need more housing in the constituency. Seldom does a week go by where I am not visited in my surgery by local families in desperately overcrowded rented accommodation who are in need of affordable housing.

The problem is particularly acute in villages, where people struggle to afford to stay where they were brought up.

At the same time as being honest about our housing need, we need to be careful about where these additional houses are to be built. In Salisbury, everyone needs to pull together to ensure that the new development we need is not piecemeal but is planned in such a way that it actually facilitates new infrastructure to improve the environment and quality of life of existing residents.

This requires that, when developers submit unwelcome planning applications, we don’t just rush to object but step back and think – which sites would be preferable? Which areas need and will welcome the new transport and community facilities that development can fund?