SMALL businesses in the south Wales Valleys need more government support to bring more jobs into the area, Caerphilly AM Hefin David has said.

Speaking in the Assembly this week the Labour AM said he welcomed the Welsh Government’s Our Valleys, Our Future plan, which sets out a number of plans to regenerate the region, but said key to its success would be to ensure smaller organisations are able to thrive.

Addressing local government and public services secretary Alun Davies, Mr David said: “One of the key aspects of the delivery plan for 'Our Valleys, Our Future is the creation of Valleys landscape parks, which will build a sense of pride, and anyone who's travelled to the northern Valleys will see the beauty of that area.

“This can build on a diverse range of local initiatives, often small social enterprises, which utilise the natural landscape of the Valleys for recreation, leisure and conservation.

“Last week, I met the Building Communities Trust, who do a lot of good work in my constituency, and they told me there needs to be more support from the Welsh Government for those small-scale social enterprises in particular.

“Can the cabinet secretary commit today to working with those smaller-scale social enterprises within the framework of Our Valleys, Our Future, particularly in the context of the Valleys landscape park, so that we can deliver these local projects closer to communities like the northern Valleys?”

Blaenau Gwent AM Mr Davies replied: “I'm very happy to give the member for Caerphilly that undertaking this afternoon.”

He added: “I want all of our communities in the Valleys to be a part of designing what that landscape park or that regional park will look like.”