My thanks to all the residents, businesses, stakeholders and partner organisations that have taken the time to take part in our budget consultation process.

We have had more responses than ever – which I think reflects the strong feelings following years of austerity and the real impact it has had on council services, but also the desire to have your say and influence the decisions made at local government level.

I would like to assure everyone that has contributed that every response is being considered fully by the authority and specifically my Cabinet.

We have already made significant savings and efficiencies – £41 million over the last five years and have reduced the size of our workforce by almost a quarter. However, the demands on services, particularly in social care and education, show absolutely no sign of reducing.

We were very pleased to receive a positive draft settlement from Welsh Government, which put us in a slightly better position than we originally thought. It has provided us with a little more flexibility when listening to what our residents feel most strongly about.

Although the weather over the last week has been dreary, we are already seeing the first signs of daffodils and the gentle reminders of the coming seasons. It is timely that we have recently been awarded the title of ‘Bee Friendly City’ – and we are the first urban city in Wales to be awarded the accreditation.

Welsh Government and Friends of the Earth Wales launched the initiative to make Wales pollinator-friendly. We have been awarded this prestigious status after demonstrating our commitment to planting wild flowers in appropriate places such as roadside verges, and identifying areas suitable for planting flora and fauna to help the bee population thrive.

For example, we will continue to ensure that planting within the parks, gardens and green areas owned by the council will support bee and other pollinating insects’ lifestyles – and we hope that by leading the way, other organisations will join forces to promote this excellent scheme.

I was delighted to attend the 3rd South Wales Argus Education Awards where I was able to thank our teachers, school colleagues, governors and volunteers for their outstanding commitment and hard work. Another positive this month saw twelve Newport schools and nurseries gain the Welsh Network of Healthy Schools Scheme's highly regarded national quality award.

In order to gain the national quality award, the whole school has to embrace the seven themes, which include food and fitness, personal development and emotional well-being. It can take nine years to achieve the full award so it is a big commitment for a school and they should all be very proud.