A year on...

Salisbury – an astonishing year 

March 4 2018 is a date that will live long in the memory for this county, and in particular Salisbury.

It was of course on that fateful day that Sergei and Yulia Skripal were found slumped on a bench in the Maltings and Wiltshire quickly found itself firmly in the spotlight right across the world. From Wellington to Washington, Salisbury was what everyone was talking about.  Last week marked 12 months since the incident and it has certainly been the most challenging time since our council was formed 10 years ago. The sheer scale of what we’ve had to do deal with has been incredible and at times overwhelming, but we learned quickly and worked so positively with our local and national partners, with bonds and working relationships formed that will be so beneficial in all areas of our work.

The Prime Minister visited Salisbury to mark the year anniversary and it was pleasing to see that it is still very high on the government agenda. We have pushed them hard for support during the last 12 months as we have seen for ourselves the impact this has had on the local communities in Salisbury and Amesbury – and we couldn’t let them down. I saw lots of people who were very pleased that Theresa May took time out to meet businesses and those involved in the recovery process, and she had some very kind words for how everyone responded.

The resilience of the communities affected has been inspiring and despite the tests they have faced, they have stuck together and kept their spirits intact. Now that a year has passed, we are focusing our efforts on ensuring Salisbury, Amesbury and the entire south of the county has a bright future. The Armed Forces Day National Event will be a great opportunity to showcase Salisbury in the most positive of lights and it will be great to see the city make headlines again, but this time for much more positive reasons.

These incidents affected a lot of people, but none more so than those exposed to the nerve agent, which caused such a devastating impact on their lives. Our thoughts are always with them, particularly Dawn Sturgess, who tragically lost her life, and her friends and family.

Delivering a balanced budget, as we always do

As we head towards the end of the financial year, it would be remiss of me not to mention the budget. As you know, it was recently agreed at full council as proposed, but I was very sorry to miss the meeting itself due to illness, particularly as this year is Wiltshire Council’s tenth anniversary.

During that decade we have always returned a balanced budget and as leader that’s something I’m extremely proud of. When we formed in 2009 it coincided with the era of austerity so we have faced many tough challenges in ensuring people continue to get the support and services they expect from their council. However, we have constantly evolved, tried to stay ahead of the curve and have been brave, and that has put us in good stead. That’s not to say we’ve not had to make tough decisions, all councils do, but we hope people have a good understanding of the reasons behind the decision-making, even if some don’t necessarily agree with us. Over the course of the next year we will be spending £332m on hundreds of services and as always, the budget is aligned to our key priorities.

The budget reflects increasing demand for care for the vulnerable but we will also be investing in highway improvements and creating a new local plan to ensure the homes, jobs and infrastructure needs of Wiltshire communities can be met. Our Digital Programme also continues to gather pace and we’re excited by the possibilities it gives us.

Thank you as always for your hard work in delivering those hundreds of services I referred to earlier, it’s always appreciated.