PARLIAMENT is in recess this week, and so I have been able to spend more time locally catching up on local issues. Supporting local businesses to create jobs is one of my priorities and I had an extremely productive meeting with the Kennet Branch of the Federation of Small Businesses.

Small businesses are the lifeblood of the British economy and our policies to support enterprise means that in the last five years, we have created more jobs than the rest of the EU put together and the British economy is growing faster than any of our major rivals. I was delighted to hear that the local FSB welcome the Government’s focus on developing apprenticeships for young people – we have set a commitment of three million apprenticeship starts by 2020 and since 2010 there have been over 2.4million starts nationally, including nearly 10,000 starts in the Devizes Constituency alone. I also held one of my regular advice surgeries in Devizes, where as usual, the range of subjects on which my constituents ask for my help is incredibly varied. I always try to help where I can, by raising issues directly with my ministerial colleagues or with other national and local organisations.

Sadly, I can’t help in every case, but I am always willing to listen and to give it a go. This week’s topics included the complexity of state pensions, especially for women who have taken some time out of employment to care for their families. From this week people reaching retirement age will receive the new State Pension of £155.65 per week but for many people (including me!) the issue of pension entitlements is a complex one and I will be asking the Pensions Minister, Baroness Altmann, if more can be done to communicate the changes and improve general understanding of pensions. Other topics raised with me this week included parking at Pewsey station, the situation in Palestine, and exciting, early stage plans for a hotel development at Longleat, which should provide fantastic employment and tourism opportunities right across the county.

Finally I dodged the April showers to join a large crowd at Pewsey Play Park to celebrate the new play equipment at ‘Colin’s Corner’, and to help plant trees to commemorate the Queen’s 90th year, and the wonderful contributions of Bob Woodward and Peter Drinnan, who together with Colin Lampard worked so hard for everyone in Pewsey. Between them, these gentlemen clocked up over 65 years service to Pewsey Parish Council and I was honoured to work with them.