I hope all my all my constituents enjoyed a happy and peaceful Christmas and wish you all the best for the New Year.

I was delighted to learn that a number of North Herefordshire residents were recognised in the Queen’s New Year Honours List.

The list included Barbara Micheson, secretary of the Bodenham Flood Protection Group, who was awarded the British Empire Medal for services to the community in Herefordshire. I have seen the work that Mrs Micheson and the other members of the group have done at first-hand and the tremendous effort they put into protecting their community.

Thankfully Herefordshire has escaped significant flooding so far although we have not been so lucky in previous years.

The system of flood prevention is ages old but is dependent on all elements working in unison. Working with the Environment Agency, groups like the Bodenham Flood Prevention group play a vital role in ensuring that no part is neglected.

Access to superfast broadband is an issue that has taken far longer to reach all parts of our community and so I was heartened by the Culture Secretary’s recent announcement that more funding has been unlocked to give more properties in some of the hardest-to-reach parts of the UK access to quick and reliable internet connections.

We will invest £440 million to help 600,000 extra homes get superfast broadband.

Under this additional funding, more than 90 per cent of the UK can now get superfast broadband – up from 45 per cent in 2010.

As 2017 begins and as we prepare to negotiate or exit from the European Union, we must address the divisions that were highlighted by the Referendum and work together as we try to achieve the best possible deal for Britain.