Welcome to my first column as the newly elected leader of Caerphilly County Borough Council.

I was honoured and humbled to accept the role at the recent AGM and I want to give a personal assurance to every resident that I will do everything I can to protect frontline services, deliver value for money and create vibrant and prosperous communities.

The recent local election results clearly demonstrate we have a strong mandate from you, the community, to deliver our pledges.

These pledges are: to build a resilient economy; take action on the climate emergency; protect our vulnerable residents; deliver education for a modern Caerphilly and build safer, healthier, better-connected communities.

However, we are all facing a number of significant challenges at the moment. We have pressing climate change considerations, the war in Ukraine with its many repercussions and a range of other pressures impacting our services. Perhaps the most urgent of which is the escalating cost of living crisis and its devastating impacts on many families.

Now, more than ever, we need strong and decisive leadership to ensure that the council can continue to deliver positive change for you and your families and that is my commitment to you.

The council is a large and diverse organisation, delivering over 600 services 24/7. Our dedicated workforce is at the heart of everything we do and I’m so grateful for all their ongoing work to support the community and provide quality services.

My focus is on delivery, improvement and transformation – making our county borough a great place to live, work and visit – and I look forward to working with you to make this happen.