IT is six months from the attack on the Skripals in Salisbury and the city has clearly felt the effects.

Reduced tourism numbers, some businesses still closed off and others have experienced reduced takings. Footfall is down 16 per cent by one estimate. Free parking is a substantial cost to the City and Wiltshire Councils. It will be a while before we know the precise figures but it will run into millions.

Meanwhile, another city - the City of London - continues to prosper and to do business with Russia. The current issue of Private Eye (September 7 - 20) has a six page article on the activities of our Big Four accountancy firms and London legal firms who are busily engaged in lucrative and often shady deals in that country. Billions of rubles have been looted from Russia and much of this ends up in London property or is shunted off to the various secrecy jurisdictions managed by the City of London.

The National Crime Agency estimates £90bn of illicit money flows through London every year. The recently published book Moneyland by Oliver Bullough goes into a lot more detail and there is the evidence of the Paradise Papers.

So while the city of Salisbury suffers, the City of London prospers. So here's a thought: can we not ask the City of London to underwrite our city's losses? It would be a miniscule portion of the billions they deal in. Since a chunk of the money is coming from Russia, it is entirely appropriate.

The person to help with this of course is our own MP Mr John Glen who is currently the Minister for the City (of London). If he could use his authority to say to the City, 'as you continue to prosper from Russia while many of my constituents suffer from the activities of Russia's GRU, why not agree to underwrite the losses?' Mr Glen often tells us he 'puts his constituents first.' This would be a true test of that commitment.

Peter Curbishley

Great Durnford