BUSINESSES in Corsham and Wiltshire play a crucial role in growing Britain’s economy, according to Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond.

On Monday he travelled to Hartham Park, Corsham, to discuss with local companies the importance of their work and give them the chance to quiz him on business topics.

He said, because of Corsham’s links with the MoD, it is an area with a core base of high skills, a thriving small business sector and a growing economy that is vital for the future.

This follows the extra £11.5m investment the Government is putting into Swindon and Wiltshire Local Enterprise Partnership, of which around £2m is being used to transform Corsham Mansion House into a digital hub to help start-up businesses in the cyber industry.

Mr Hammond, who visited the MoD in Corsham when he was Defence Secretary, said: “I am Foreign Secretary but that doesn’t mean I’m not interested in the UK economy. Growing the UK economy and implementing this long-term economic plan is the key to Britain’s success in the world.”

He said the Government’s investment was a chance for Corsham to help the wider economy outside of London.

“This is a high-growth, high-value area of business, so it makes sense to concentrate resources in areas where we’ve already got clusters of specialist capability. As business moves into higher skilled areas, attracting people becomes the key challenge, attracting people with the right skills, and that means often the business needs to be located where people want to live.

“People want to live in small market towns in pleasant and semi-rural areas, they want to work in places like this rather than grim industrial estate locations.”

Mr Hammond was invited to the town by Michelle Donelan, Conservative Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for the Chippenham constituency.

One of her campaigns includes reviving Corsham’s town centre and re-opening the train station to support local businesses.