I was able to get down to Devizes on Thursday to host a dinner at which Lord Wolfson, the chief executive of Next plc, shared with us his views on planning, housing and transport in the UK and also insights into how to build a successful retail business.

Also at the dinner was local Apprentice finalist and entrepreneur Jade Nash, from Choose Leads Ltd, and local business representatives who largely reported that the local business climate was growing ever positive.

With the UK economy now the fastest growing in the G7 group of nations, it is good to see that we are sharing in that trend.

There was more help to support local businesses announced this week when the government introduced the promised legislation for a £2,000 National Insurance cut for small businesses and also announced changes to small business prompt payment rules to improve working cash flow.

In my view, small businesses are the lifeblood of our economy and it is great to see the difficult decisions taken to reduce the deficit mean that employer National Insurance will be cut by up to £2,000 for every business from April next year, meaning that 450,000 businesses will pay no employer National Insurance at all.

On Friday I discussed the local business environment in Marlborough with a dedicated group of local retailers, the Chamber of Commerce and Wiltshire Council. On the agenda were parking incentives to encourage shoppers, business rates, the impact of Marlborough Mop on trade, and the possible development of a Business Improvement District.

Marlborough Town Council provided an update on plans to conduct a Town Benchmarking study to see how well the town is performing and what can be improved.

Also on Friday I visited the Devizes Opportunity Centre which is a charity that has provided vital support for more than 25 years to pre-school children with disabilities, difficulties and challenges. I was moved and impressed with the range of help on offer, the dedication of the staff and the huge support provided to the parents of the children attending.

It is truly a local lifeline and the staff, volunteers and trustees are amazing.

I will be holding my usual advice surgeries and if you would like an appointment then please telephone my office on (01380) 729358 or email me at claire.perry.mp@ parliament.uk