Budget days and column deadlines are always hectic – but it’s clear that this first Conservative Budget since 1996 is a budget for businesses, for hard-working people and for pensioners. This is a budget that delivers security for us all.

Businesses will welcome the cutting of corporation tax to 18 per cent. The National Living Wage from April 2016 will mean two and a half million people get a pay rise in cash terms. Over this Parliament, full-timers on the on the minimum wage will earn an extra £5,000. It’s only right that we control welfare budgets so that we better protect spending on our vital public services such as the NHS – were you surprised that currently Britain is home to one per cent of the world’s population; generates four per cent of the world’s income; and yet pays out seven per cent of all the welfare spending? And I know that many of you will share my relief that our strong financial footing means we are committing to meet the NATO pledge to spend two per cent of our national income on defence. Not just this year, but every year of this decade.

Rolling out superfast broadband is one of my local priorities and yesterday I met senior representatives from BT Openreach to review progress. High-speed broadband is now just as important to our local economy as our transport links – another of my local priorities. The Government is investing £1.7bn in rural broadband across the UK, and locally phase one of the project is on track so that 91 per cent of premises in Wiltshire will have access to improved broadband by March 2016. Phase two is being planned in detail so that 95 per cent of premises are connected by 2017, and the focus is also on finding the best technological solutions for the ‘final five per cent’ – the hardest to reach areas.

I am pleased with the progress being made, and in Broad Hinton (the first local village to go live) people are delighted. Many other villages are now connected including properties in Great Bedwyn, Burbage, Pewsey, the Collingbournes, Aldbourne, the Lavingtons and Netheravon so please check www.wiltshireonline.org and contact your internet service provider to sign up.

I know that there are challenges in connecting some areas including Potterne, Rowde and Worton and I am doing everything I can to ensure superfast broadband is available as soon as possible. My children and I cannot wait until we’re connected – hopefully family ‘fights’ when we all want to get online will soon be a thing of the past!