AS WE enter the New Year, the need to invest in flood defences is a high priority for the Welsh Government.

Over the past decade we have funded schemes which have helped to protect towns, villages and communities, using European Union funding to back our investments.

The recent announcement of a £2.9 million Flood Alleviation scheme for Gibbonsdown, Cadoxton and Palmerston, with Welsh Government funding, will make a huge difference to protect Barry from the kind of flood events experienced in 2007.

More announcements on flood prevention this week by the Welsh Government Minister Carl Sargeant AM will be welcome - these follow my Draft Budget for 2016/17 in December, in which I said we would put more resources into our infrastructure.

This Budget includes extra funding for Social Services as well as a £200 million boost for the Welsh NHS which now accounts for 48 per cent of our Welsh Government Budget.

The Treasury figures published last November now show that the Welsh Labour Government spends seven per cent more on health and social services per person in Wales than the UK Government does for people in England.

Recent figures show that the number of people experiencing a delay in their transfer of care is also falling in Wales.

A recent newsletter published by Healthcare Alliances based in Cowbridge reveals that all health boards in Wales have produced a 100 day plan to improve cancer services and waiting times in Wales and I look forward to meeting Pam Allinson with the campaigning organisation Breast Cancer Now this month to discuss her important and longstanding campaign in Wales.

Finally, I wanted to draw attention to the Vale of Glamorgan Council’s Greenlinks service. Greenlinks is a community transport scheme providing accessible transportation for residents living in the Vale of Glamorgan who do not have easy access to public transport.

The service was busy on Christmas day - with a Greenlinks vehicle providing door to door transport for guests invited to share a Christmas lunch with residents at Golau Caredig in Barry. The buses were driven by two volunteers, John Hawkins and Conway Hawkins.

Thank you to all volunteers who help make this service the great success that it is.

For more information on how to become a Greenlinks member, call the freephone number 0800 2941113 or visit www.valeofgalmorgan.gov.uk/greenlinks