UNCERTAINTY over jobs at the Honda plant in Swindon and the Novichok incidents in Salisbury and Amesbury last year has put Wiltshire on a fast track plan to grow and improve industry in the area.

A central government scheme to attempt to increase the amount of industry and boost jobs in the area will be completed ahead of other parts of the country because of the nerve agent attack and business giant's announcement it will shut its plant by 2022.

The Local Industrial Strategy will now be ready before Christmas, instead the March deadline for the rest of the country.

Approving a draft plan of the Wiltshire version, Philip Whitehead, leader of Wiltshire Council said: “Swindon and Wiltshire LEP have been asked by government to accelerate provision of the local industrial strategy. It was due in March next year but will now be accelerated. Primarily this will then allow funding to be enable in certain parts to alleviate the potential impacts of Honda. There are certain aspects we are not happy with currently but we need to approve this draft to allow it to be delivered in time and enable things to happen.”

The plan is currently being kept under wraps but should be published in full

Paddy Bradley, SWLEP director said: “The government wants to ensure we have a clear strategic direction in place given the context of the Honda announcement and recent events in Salisbury and Amesbury. It will set the direction of travel for our economic development over the next 10-15 years and focus on sustainable and inclusive growth across our communities."