LAST week, I supported the Communication Workers Union (CWU) campaign calling on the UK Government to address the Post Office crisis.

The CWU has been travelling around Wales, Scotland and England with a ‘battle bus’ and a 20 foot post card signed by members of the public, addressed to the London offices of the Business Department (BIS), as part of a protest against post office cuts, closures and privatisations.

CWU general secretary Dave Ward said: “Our Post Office is in crisis. Closures and privatisation are rife, thousands of jobs are being lost…the post office as we know it is on the brink of extinction. We’re asking the government to act now to protect the heart of the High Street.”

When the Post Office announced its proposal to close its Crown Office on Holton Road, Barry earlier this year, I launched a vigorous campaign and petition attracting more than 16,000 signatures to try and save it. Barry is the largest town in Wales and has benefited from Welsh Government regeneration funds; it is unthinkable that it should lose its Crown Post Office.

On a more positive note, minister Carwyn Jones welcomed last week, the latest labour market statistics, which show employment in Wales is at its highest rate on record.

Over the past year the number of people unemployed in Wales has fallen by 30,000 to its lowest level since 2006.

In fact, Wales is outperforming all other parts of the UK with the sharpest declining rate of unemployment over the past 12 months. At 4.6 per cent, the unemployment rate in Wales is lower than the UK average.

New figures also show that 38,269 children benefitted from Flying Start services in Wales during 2015-16.

Flying Start is the Welsh Labour Government’s targeted early years programme for families with children under four years of age living in some of the most disadvantaged areas of Wales. It provides free, quality, part-time childcare for 2-3 year olds; an enhanced health visiting service; access to parenting programmes; and support for speech language and communication.

In 2014-15, we met our target to deliver Flying Start to 36,000 children by 2016 - a year ahead of schedule.

These latest figures show the target has been exceeded by more than 2,000, with more than 38,000 children benefiting from the programme over 2015-16,including children here in Barry.