Now that the summer holidays have arrived, I hope many of you are taking some time to rest after what’s been another challenging year for all.

Wales’ First Minister announced our move to Alert Level Zero last week which marks a greater ease in restrictions.

I’m sure that this will come as welcome news to many and demonstrates the effectiveness of our collective efforts in helping to reduce the spread of this deadly virus.

It is, however, important to remember that the virus is still very much present, and we all have a duty to ensure the safety of ourselves and others, so please continue to act with caution.

Last week I was fortunate to pay see work get off the ground at our first pilot innovative housing scheme in Trecenydd.

The first programme of new council house building for us in 18 years. This site forms part of an innovative housing programme, funded by Welsh Government, which will see six new one-bedroom apartments built in Trecenydd and a further 12 in Trethomas.

As well as helping us meet the demand for one-bedroom social housing in the county borough, these homes are being built to Passivhaus standards which means very high levels of insulation, high-performance windows and a mechanical heat ventilation system.

This is in an incredibly exciting programme for us, as in additional to working towards our commitment to lower carbon emissions, the homes will have incredibly low energy costs for our tenants.

Following my visit to the Trecenydd development site, I also paid a fascinating visit to Ystrad Mynach based Caledan Ltd, who demonstrated the process they’re using to manufacture the steel frames that will be used in construction for homes on these sites.

It was fantastic to see that the investment being made into our new council house building programme is already helping to stimulate our economy by using local suppliers.

Finally, I’d like to congratulate our learners collecting their A-level and GCSE results this week. This has been an incredibly difficult time for everyone, and I am exceptionally proud of the commitment, dedication and resilience shown by learners, staff and families during these unprecedented times.

Regardless of what results you receive or what the next step of your exciting journey is, please take this as a time to celebrate – together you have truly demonstrated Team Caerphilly at its finest!