Last week’s Autumn Statement update by the UK government brought little comfort to families across the country who are struggling to get by each day.

Public services throughout Wales are also facing significant challenges due to the ongoing economic pressures. We are all working hard to make savings and identify efficiencies as we await our financial settlement for 2024/25, which will be announced at the end of December.

Caerphilly, like many councils, will be faced with making difficult decisions over the coming two years as we work hard to deliver a balanced budget. This is set against the backdrop of shrinking resources, increased pressure on our services and the impact of key factors such as inflation and rising energy costs.

A special episode of ITV "Wales This Week" will air on Thursday (November 30) entitled "Councils in Crisis" and CCBC features in the programme as we outline the pressures that lie ahead and explain the way we are trying to transform our services in order to meet these challenges.

We are not claiming that we have all the answers, but it is clear that we need to do things differently if we are to meet these unprecedented pressures.

Our ambitious transformation programme will allow us to undertake a "deep dive" into a range of our services so we can make savings by improving processes and removing any inefficiencies.

We know we must adapt to meet the challenges ahead, focusing on flexibility and finding different ways to deliver what our communities need, when they need it.

A key part of this process will be seeking the views of residents and I would urge everyone to get involved in our forthcoming budget consultation, which will be launched over the next few months

By working together, we can create a better future for all our residents and we will do this protecting key services and keeping Council Tax levels as low as possible.