CHANCELLOR George Osborne visited the set of Agatha Raisin in South Wraxall yesterday to welcome 50 local jobs created as a result of the government's support for British TV and to discuss the launch of his rural productivity plan.

As part of the visit the Chancellor, along with Secretary of State for Environment Elizabeth Truss, toured the set and met with the cast and production crew working on the latest episode - which will be aired on Sky One - including actors Ashley Jenson and Jules Knight.

Agatha Raisin, produced by Mammoth Screen - the company behind Cornwall based BBC hit Poldark, is benefitting from the government's high-end TV tax relief which provides a tax credit of 25 per cent on qualifying British TV productions.

Mammoth Screen, who have returned to the South West to film the new series, have employed over half of their staff locally to fill roles in costume, sound, locations and transport.

This adds to the 55 staff hired in the South West to work on the first season of Poldark.

Mr Osborne said: "The filming of Agatha Raisin, a great British TV production, is part of a great British TV industry, which we want to do more to support and it is fantastic they are using locations here in the West Country creating jobs here, I believe 50 have been created off the back of this production alone. It is all part of creative industries which is really important to the national economy.

"I think this production is really important to also the local economy in Wiltshire because first of all you have jobs being created and second, you have permanent and long term centres of excellence like Bristol being supported and it is great for them to be working locally.

"It is a great advert for not just this county but also our country. People see these beautiful villages and that helps support rural tourism, local pubs and farm shops which are all the things that help a rural area thrive these days."

While he was in Wiltshire, Mr Osborne also had the opportunity to talk about the launch of the rural productivity plan - a blueprint on how he wants to reform planning laws to make it easier for villages to build new starter homes.

George Osborne told the Wiltshire Times: "We have launched the rural productivity plan and what that is all about is saying we are one nation and of course we want our cities to grow but we also want to support our rural areas and make sure that rural business can grow and create jobs for people and that families in rural areas can afford homes and we have access to good broadband, good road networks and that schools in rural areas get fair funding.

"Often these areas have been neglected by Governments who are more interested in what happens in the middle of our cities, but not this Government. We are very focussed on rural areas and everything we can do to support that."

He added that the rural productivity plan wants to support young families who want to live in countryside areas and in particular give them a helping hand on the property ladder.

"We are saying to villages that want to see some new homes in their village why not work with us on our starter home scheme which means that a home for a young family with a 20 per cent discount can be built and will help that family get on the housing ladder and will help that village continue to support housing for the next generation and will help have affordable housing so it is a win-win all around.

"If we want our countryside to be a living, breathing part of our economy you have to have homes and jobs and good schools."

Mr Osborne was also keen to highlight how the Government want to make sure that these starter homes are affordable especially in small villages such as South Wraxall.

"I think if you say in beautiful areas of the country like this that it is impossible for people who grow up here to live here with their family once they grow up, I think will be very sad. I think people want to live in areas they grew up in and I think if you give villages control over that then you are getting around some of those problems we have had in the past.

"The unusual thing about Britain is that people are moving from the cities to the countryside and I think that is something good because it supports a great quality of life, provided you have the infrastructure in place, and I don't just mean roads or broadband but the schools and homes for people to live in.

"We are all about supporting working people and their aspirations and we are all about saying to people who want a good school place for their children and we are on their side whether they live in the middle of our cities or indeed in beautiful areas of the countryside like this."

The announcement on starter homes was welcomed by Wiltshire Council.