THIS has been an extraordinary year in the UK and one that none of us will forget in a hurry for a variety of reasons. The country enjoyed some fantastic celebrations to mark Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. It was an opportunity for the nation to thank her for 70 years of dedicated public service. I’m so glad that she was able to witness the outpouring of affection and gratitude.

Devoted to her public duties to the very end and just hours before her death Her Majesty swore in a new Prime Minister. Her death brought to an end the second Elizabethan age, during which time British society has changed beyond recognition. The Queen had been our constant in a rapidly changing world, so it understandably felt destabilising that she is no longer there. But we look forward to the coronation of His Majesty King Charles III in May 2023, which will be an opportunity for the country to come together once again.

Politically, 2022 has been destabilising for a number of reasons and I welcome the period of greater stability that Rishi Sunak has ushered in with a high calibre team around him. The challenges facing his new government are extensive and considering the mistakes of the two previous Prime Ministers, the pressure on him to deliver must weigh heavy.

For us here in Monmouthshire it has been a year of transition too. Partygate was understandably a red line for many voters and resulted in a new and largely inexperienced Labour administration being elected to run Monmouthshire County Council. My team is offering constructive scrutiny of their decisions and actions. We don’t oppose for opposition’s sake, but we do hold them to account. Where we agree, we support them. So we’re pleased they’re continuing to progress our plan for a brand new school in Abergavenny, but hope they will continue other projects like improving social care provision, renewing our leisure centres, keeping our recycling centres open, but also keeping council tax down. As they set their first budget over the coming weeks and months we will be scrutinising their proposals line by line and fighting to strike a balance between keeping taxes low while protecting the services we all depend on.

I’d like to thank all the staff at the Monmouthshire Beacon and Abergavenny Chronicle for allowing me to share some of my thoughts with readers in these regular columns and I wish all readers and their families a happy Christmas and a successful and peaceful beginning to 2023.