The council - like households across the country - faces an unprecedented financial squeeze. Rising inflation and increasing demand on services are creating huge pressures on the council’s budgets. The Local Government Association estimates that spiralling costs have added at least £2.4bn to the budgets councils set earlier this year.

I would like to emphasise again what is available to households and businesses to help us through the cost of living crisis. Council libraries are offering a “warm welcome”, and you can find a map of other local “warm spaces” on our website www.bathnes.gov.uk/warmspaces.

Please also remember the key message is “Help is out there”. Our Community Wellbeing Hub can be contacted on 0300 247 0050.

The scale of these challenges for the council was contained in a report to our November cabinet meeting, and there are tough decisions ahead as we prepare next year’s budget.

However, despite all this, cabinet was also able to adopt a series of proposals that really improve people’s lives across Bath and North East Somerset.

We agreed a massive, positive change to bring adult social care back in-house. This will help us give residents the best possible support and I believe will be welcomed by care workers.

The cabinet also agreed proposals on how it will be a good landlord as people move into the council homes being developed. I am proud that we are getting back into providing the truly affordable homes that local residents need – including specialist housing for some of our most vulnerable residents.

We also accepted significant funding from WECA to support sustainable transport schemes across our area. This aims to improve public transport on the Bristol to Bath “corridor”, and between the Somer Valley and Bristol and Bath.

I want also to highlight another project where we have been able to attract significant additional funding to improve local communities; Somer Valley Rediscovered aims to improve wildlife habitat and create accessible green spaces for local communities to enjoy. Led by the council, Wessex Water, B&NES Public Health and Natural England, the project has secured funding from the West of England Combined Authority Green Recovery Fund.

The money will be used for nature recovery projects such as grassland restoration and the management of woodlands and watercourses which will benefit a whole host of wildlife including insect pollinators, bats and wild orchids at five key sites: Haydon Batch in Radstock, Waterside Valley in Westfield, Midsomer Norton Town Park,

Wellow Brook Walk and Staddlestones Open Space in Midsomer Norton. My thanks to all the partners including town and parish council who are involved with this fantastic project.