There has been much to cheer this week with the latest figures showing that unemployment has had its largest annual fall since records began – with a record number of people now in work, meaning more people with the security of a good job and a regular pay packet.

Locally there are now just 514 people claiming Job Seekers Allowance, down from 868 a year ago, and a fall of 53 per cent since the General Election in 2010.

This, coupled with a drop in inflation to 1.2 per cent, its lowest rate for five years, pushed down by lower energy and food prices, means that the economy is in good shape to continue to deliver jobs, support our essential public services, enable investment in infrastructure and to reduce the deficit so that our children do not inherit an economic time bomb.

If, like me, you have taken the change in the weather as a cue to fill up your oil tank then you will have seen that the price per litre of heating oil is well below that of the last few winters. However, I am concerned that the full scope of reductions in the wholesale cost of oil has not been fully passed on to consumers and this is something that I will be discussing further in Westminster. For those of us off the gas grid, we have little opportunity to shop around.

Last Friday I traversed my constituency, starting in the east in Tidworth where I met Army Welfare Officers from Tidworth, Bulford and Larkhill to discuss the local concerns bought to them by their unit personnel.

Issues raised included local public transport provision, social and leisure opportunities, healthcare and dentistry, local employment for spouses, traffic speeds and road safety concerns.

The session was hugely valuable and I now have a very long list of actions.

Over lunchtime I held a drop-in surgery in Tesco in Tidworth and it was a pleasure to meet the many people who stopped by and then after visits to two fantastic Tidworth-based businesses – Knights Tailoring and Trotters Equine & Country Store – I headed off for Seend for a drink and chat at the community centre.

Finally, as well as drop ins, I hold regular advice surgeries around the constituency for which an appointment is needed so please call my Devizes office on 01380 729358 if you would like to meet, or if I can help you with anything.

You can also email me at claire.perry.mp@parliament.uk or write to me at the House of Commons.