THE new chairman of Salisbury Area Board is calling on community and voluntary groups to come forward with ideas and apply for funding to support projects.

Councillor Atiqul Hoque, who is the Wiltshire councillor for St Edmund and Milford, was appointed chair of the area board during a meeting held on Tuesday (June 16).

He takes over the role from Councillor Sven Hocking.

Cllr Hoque said: “It is an immense privilege to be able to serve our community in this way during these extraordinary times. I’d like to personally thank the people of Salisbury for coming together and supporting each other over the past few months. Our key workers and selfless volunteers have been an inspiration to us all.

"Now, as we begin to emerge from the coronavirus pandemic, my plea to all community and voluntary groups is to please come forward with your ideas and apply for the fund that’s requires to start the work.

“Finally I would like to request all residents of Salisbury to ‘shop local’ wherever possible, as this will help our local economy and maintain jobs in our city," he added.

Salisbury is the city I choose to live in, and I love it here. We have a fantastic community, and I see it as my job, and that of my fellow Councillors, to continue to build on that strong foundation.”