I recently had an excellent visit to the Swan Brewery in Leominster. The tour placed emphasis on sustainability and it was great to sample such wonderful local produce all from locally sourced ingredients. The beer and cider industry is so important to Herefordshire so I shall be following carefully the impact that business rates may have on our pubs.

Pubs are hugely important not only to communities but also to the economy, providing thousands of jobs and contributing over £20 billion a year.

The method of valuing the rates for pubs was agreed by the five major trade bodies and has not changed so three quarters of properties will see no change or even a fall in their bills, and the small minority of businesses that face an increase could apply for the Government’s £3.6 billion transitional relief scheme.

The Government’s Housing White Paper and commitment to repair the housing market is most welcome. Housing has always been in short supply in Herefordshire so it was heartening that the White Paper acknowledges that central government, local government and house builders must work together to make sure more homes that actually have permission will be built.

Whilst acknowledging the need for more housing, the White Paper makes clear that the Green Belt will be protected, and that local authorities will be encouraged to prioritise making use of brownfield land and urban areas. This is particularly important in primarily rural areas such as ours.

I am pleased that recent figures show unemployment has remained at its lowest rate for 11 years – down by more than 900,000 since 2010.

With employment at its highest rate since records began, and unemployment at its lowest in over a decade, the signs are certainly encouraging. In addition to this, the figures show youth unemployment down, women in work at record levels and the number of disabled people in work increasing too.

While it is good that Herefordshire Council were successful in their bid for funding to help with the destination Hereford 3 programme, I wonder if we really needed money for improvements in accessing the cities education, training and employment facilities, given how much better the infrastructure is in the city compared to rural areas.

It is good that funding will place an emphasis on increased levels of walking and cycling, better health and air quality, and less congestion and CO2, but this is needed just as badly in Barons Cross in Leominster and possibly in other places too.

I have been delighted to help with the proposed new University in Hereford, which the Government is keen to support, but I must also keep an eye on the less headline grabbing, yet equally important needs of our rural communities.