In 2012, one of the first actions of the-then newly-elected council was to agree a five-year transformation strategy, designed to ensure we could continue to deliver key services with significantly less money. Since then, our council has achieved savings of £35m and delivered significant organisational change.

Earlier this year, it was my honour, along with Cllr Elena Whitham, to attend the iESE National Improvement and Efficiency Awards, where our council was awarded the title of UK Council of the Year, in recognition of the transformation journey we have taken.