I don’t need to tell you that Monmouthshire is a hugely diverse county in a whole number of ways. We have one of the biggest gaps in Wales between rich and poor. We have some of the most desirable areas in the principality and other places which need more work.

Our towns are growing with new housing and at the same time we have some remote rural areas with poor communication networks. It is not unusual for me to take a backroad to somewhere and see a road signs to a place I didn’t know existed.

Maintaining our road network is a hugely complex task, very costly and vitally important. Prioritising the tasks is never straightforward and, as always, there are winners and losers.

But against all this we have some success stories of which I am justly proud. For example, the Wye Bridge at Monmouth is now resurfaced, without the huge problems which were at one stage predicted. And we have been successful in getting support to design the crucial road stabilisation works needed for Staunton Road, which connects Monmouth to the Forest of Dean.

Although we are not responsible for the motorways and trunk roads in our area, they are of vital importance, and I pay tribute here to my cabinet colleague, Councillor Catrin Maby, who, with our officers, has played a key role in reducing some of the local impacts of the A40 rock-fall while work is carried out to investigate the cause and plan the remedial work. Catrin and her team have been a catalyst, bringing residents, businesses, the town council and our authority round the table with the National Highways Authority, and their equivalent in South East Wales, to share local knowledge and concerns.

I am also particularly pleased with the emphasis we have put on active travel routes. These are the pathways, pavements and connections made so that cyclists, pedestrians, and others can get around safely and easily without risking their lives on narrow roads, next to fast moving traffic.

Making our roads safer and more attractive for everyone to walk, scoot and cycle, and improving our public transport services, helps to reduce traffic congestion and air pollution, and improves the health and the quality of life in our towns. This is about inclusivity and making sure that our roads and streets are safe for everyone – including children, the elderly and those with disabilities.

We now have funding for the final phase of the Active Travel Route from Kingswood Gate into Monmouth town centre. We have also now won funding for the design stage of the Monmouth Active Travel Bridge across the River Wye and for construction of the Llanfoist Active Travel Bridge.

When we put in new and improved routes with safe crossings, it is wonderful to see the increase in the number of people on mobility scooters, children on bikes and parents with prams out and about, able to use them.

Despite hugely a tight financial settlement, we have increased our transport budget this year and brought in additional capital grants to tackle some of these and other demands. To use an appropriate idiom, it is a step in the right direction.