AS we approach the one year anniversary of the Novichok attack in Salisbury, the city’s recovery effort has moved to a new phase – from clean-up and emergency reparations to long-term investment in events and infrastructure.

There are now a number of ongoing projects and funding bids aimed at helping the local economy bounce back better and brighter than before.

To that end, government oversight of Salisbury has passed from DEFRA to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

It was a pleasure to have Lord Henley in Salisbury on Thursday and Friday meeting stakeholders and touring the city.

I was delighted that, in the course of a very thorough visit, he took the time not only to hear about the needs of the city centre and the losses sustained by the tourism and retail sectors but also to visit Porton Down and hear from major employers about their investment in and aspirations for the area.

I am continually encouraged by the goodwill shown towards Salisbury by colleagues in government.

I am doing all I can to keep our needs at the forefront of the minds of key decision makers as various pieces of work move forward – including the BID’s submission to the High Streets Fund and Salisbury Museum’s latest Heritage Lottery fund application.

As well as doing my best to assist local those organisations that already have ‘irons in the fire’, I am particularly keen to see that different projects are not carried out in isolation but dovetail to form a coherent whole.

For example, it seems logical that people having discussions around improving signage from the station, regenerating Fisherton Street and improving access to the Playhouse end of The Maltings should be brought together to make sure that their aspirations complement each other and, if at all possible, move towards delivery at similar speeds.

This Friday, as well as my normal advice surgery, I look forward to several more conversations about the future of Salisbury, speaking to people who have a host of different ideas about the future of cultural provision, tourism, retail and transport.