One hundred days on since residents went to the polls for the Local Elections, I am truly pleased to see positive outcomes under this new council in such a short space of time.

As with any post-election period, everyone has had to find their feet, whether as a returning or a newly elected councillor, there is always a lot to do and our first responsibility is to the communities we have been elected by.

Since the elections, the council’s focus on value for money and strong financial management has already paid dividends, with a £4million underspend from last year being reinvested into protecting Council services, with £200,000 ringfenced for upgrading public play areas that have fallen into disrepair. Councils across the country almost always overspend these days, so it’s encouraging that South Gloucestershire continues to buck national trends.

Ofsted have also improved their rating of our Children’s Services, which have benefitted from the council’s recent change to a Cabinet system of decision-making, with extra financial support having been invested in this year’s budget to continue this positive direction.

Millions of pounds for infrastructure upgrades have also been secured through our membership of the West of England Combined Authority, including the resources to deliver a Park and Ride in Yate and funding to progress plans for a new Charfield train station and the Frampton Cotterell to Winterbourne and Coalpit Heath to Westerleigh bypasses.

But while it is gratifying to welcome successes rolling over from the previous Council, we cannot and should not rest on our laurels. We are indebted to residents for continuing to place their trust in us as their representatives on the Council and we need to be engaging them to make sure their views are heard.