WILTSHIRE Council has pledged to keep investing in Salisbury’s city centre after revealing the area is one of the county’s strongest-performing shopping destinations.
Councillors have backed the next phase of the Wiltshire Towns Programme, which has supported events, businesses and regeneration projects across 22 communities over the past four years.
In Salisbury, funding has helped deliver popular events including the Taste of Salisbury Food Festival, attracting visitors and boosting footfall in the city centre.
The council said Salisbury continues to show strong and sustained growth in visitor numbers, alongside towns including Melksham and Trowbridge, with Westbury recording the biggest increase overall.
A further £700,000 has now been earmarked for the programme in 2026/27.
The package includes £250,000 for grants to support cultural events and bring empty shop units back into use, £200,000 to promote tourism through Visit Wiltshire, £80,000 to improve town centre workspaces and £70,000 to support local food and drink producers through the Wiltshire Marque scheme.
Cabinet Member for Economic Development Cllr Helen Belcher said: “The Wiltshire Towns Programme is making a real difference in our communities, helping our towns to adapt, grow and thrive.
“We’re seeing strong results, with increased footfall, more activity on our high streets and positive feedback from businesses and residents.
“This next phase will build on that success, using the remaining funding to continue supporting local economies, encouraging investment and helping our town centres remain vibrant and resilient.”
That’s all well and good, and most welcome. But in the process, please dont forget the people who live in Salisbury. There was an event in the square a month or so ago at which there were no people at all. But the noise from it was disturbing all the local people enjoying coffee and conversation around the square. I made the point to the Mayor and asked that the music be turned down (it was 0930 after all) but he declined, saying he was there to support the event, forgetting his responsibility to support the people of Salisbury, not just potential visitors.
The high parking charges deter people from coming into the City.
The Saturday market is popular and the X3 bus is great so people can travel to the City by train and use this half hourly bus from railway station to the city, certainly a POPULAR IDEA…