SINCE the New Year I’ve being going the length and breadth of Monmouthshire, along with Councillor Rachel Garrick talking to people about their issues and our council budget for the next financial year starting this April.

Everywhere I have heard the same. People are worried about paying the bills, heating their homes.

Will their children ever being able to buy their own home here in Monmouthshire? Will they get social care for their relatives?

But also, as you might expect in Monmouthshire, there is a real understanding that when times get tough, we need to pull together, especially when the solutions aren’t easy.

Both in person and through our online survey, people have come forward with ideas and suggestions about what can be done to make our services work better for everyone despite the fact that we are in the worst period of rising prices in living memory.

I am so grateful for your public support – but not entirely surprised: that is what we do in Monmouthshire: we help each other, working together for a common cause.

It is what we did during the recent floods, with council staff working hand in hand with people in the community, quickly getting help to those who needed it.

Make no mistake, these are toughest of times to set a budget. Back in May, we inherited a tough situation from the previous administration, just as costs were skyrocketing.

There was not enough to cover our energy bills, or the costs of supporting children and vulnerable adults, or to deal with the number of homeless people.

We were dealt a £9-million shortfall but we have managed to get by, using our budgeting skills, making savings and by drawing on scant reserves, run down over previous years.

In this year’s budget, like every other Welsh council, we face an unparalleled gap between the cash coming in and spiralling costs of providing the services that matter the most to you. Costs will rise by a staggering 14 per cent.

But here’s what we, as a Labour administration, are doing to keep your services running while investing in all our futures: we are using imagination, skill and a novel approach to change the way we work to meet your needs and deliver your services.

None of this will be achieved unless we as a council pass a budget in March. I want the council, like the people of Monmouthshire to come together. I know you do too.

You have told me loud and clear that you expect nothing less: the needs of local people are far more important than petty political differences.