Following on from the recent incident in Salisbury, I was extremely concerned to hear of the major incident and tragically a life lost in Amesbury.
Whilst not in my constituency, these incidents impact people and businesses across Wiltshire and I used a question in Parliament to ask the Home Secretary to assure the people of Wiltshire that the risk to them remains low and that the Government will prioritise the safety of residents in the coming months. I also asked that the Government commit the necessary support to Wiltshire to help the county recover from these incidents and I look forward to working with the Home Secretary to ensure residents and businesses are properly supported and safe.
Those of you who read this column regularly will be aware of my passion for addressing the skills gap here in Wiltshire and the need to promote STEM subjects in our schools and colleges. I applaud the recent ‘construction sector deal’ announced by the Government which will seek to address the 21% productivity shortfall in a sector which is vital to our meeting the challenge of the increased demand for housing. I asked the Business Minister if he agreed with my desire to see greater investment in digital and off-site manufacturing technologies as part of this deal in order to boost our STEM sector. This investment is vital for areas like Wiltshire which have developed as a hub for engineering, design and technology and future funding will ensure that these are able to grow further and flourish.
Here in the constituency I was delighted to hand out the medals at the Broughton Gifford Village Games again this year. For the past two years I have been given this honour and I was very privileged to have been asked again. It was a wonderful event that brought together the local community of all ages and abilities and shares the very best aspects of village life and community spirit. It was fantastic to again be part of an event that was about having fun, promoting sport and healthy living. Broughton Gifford is just one of the fantastic local communities I am lucky to have here in the constituency.
With summer fete season in full swing, I also had the pleasure of visiting Winsley and Semmington village fetes, both of which were very well attended and it was great to be able to speak to so many constituents and stall holders and of course enjoy all the activities in the sun.
As part of my summer ‘meet your MP’ roadshow, I am holding drop-in events in 15 locations across the constituency. For details of dates, times and venues, please contact me on michelle.donelan.mp@parliament.uk or call my office on 01249 704 465.
