I SPENT the first part of the week at the party conference, supporting the Business Secretary with his hectic round of engagements.
There have been some bold announcements this week, not least the changes to business rates, which will give local authorities the freedom to set their own rates.
This will mean that councils which create effective packages to attract and support businesses will be able to reap the rewards .
The Chancellor has used his conference to emphasise the importance of infrastructure investment – building the road and rail links we need for economic growth and job creation.
Another angle on this ongoing project is the continuing need to improve this country’s digital infrastructure.
To that end, as soon as Parliament returns, my focus will return to superfast broadband.
I hope to be able to contribute to the scheduled debate and reflect on Wiltshire’s experience.
Excellent progress has been made in Wiltshire towards meeting the roll-out targets, but we must be relentless in our search for alternative solutions for those areas who remain without adequate provision.
We must pursue BT for maximum clawback, so that those households not covered by Phase 2 of Wiltshire Online can still have hope of achieving superfast provision within a reasonable timeframe.
Before then, I look forward to more constituency engagements, in particular visits to Salisbury Sixth Form and to Sarum Academy to meet the debating society. I will also be at the inaugural meeting in Salisbury of the Salisbury Task Force to discuss Salisbury’s strategic infrastructure projects.
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