NEWPORT must remain a stand alone local authority, says the new leader of the city council.

Councillor Debbie Wilcox was appointed as the council's first-ever female leader earlier this month, replacing long-serving chief Cllr Bob Bright after he stepped down at the end of April.

Speaking to the Argus, the Gaer ward member - who is also the youngest ever leader of the council - said she wanted to continue to build on the work carried out over recent years to regenerate the city, and to focus on projects such as the Cardiff Capital Region City Deal and the South Wales Metro, to continue to improve the area.

"I want to continue to build on the momentum - the Friars Walk effect - for the whole city," she said.

"What I am clear about is Newport decides for Newport.

"I am asking for a meeting with (Finance and Local Government Secretary) Mark Drakeford where I will put that on the table."

Cllr Wilcox - a former teacher who was first elected to the council in 2004 - was also clear in her opposition to the Welsh Government's proposals to cut the number of local authorities in Wales from 22 to around nine by merging councils.

"I am totally open to partnership working, but Newport City Council must remain in charge of Newport," she said.

"We have got hundreds of year of history of managing things for ourselves. To join up with other partners would be a dilution of that."

Last week First Minister Carwyn Jones announced the government was going back to the drawing board over the plans, although they are still likely to go ahead in some form.

Cllr Wilcox said she was also keen on making the work of the council more accessible to the people of Newport.

"It's about cutting out jargon and putting things in language people understand," she said.

"One thing I would like to try is, for example with our cabinet meetings, holding them somewhere like the Riverfront.

"We are the representatives of the people.

"We are here to represent their views and try to get the best deal for Newport and I want to show them that.

"The more people are engaged the better for democracy."

The new leader also paid tribute to her predecessor cllr Bright, who remains a council member but has announced he will not seek re-election next April.

"He did an incredible job," she said. "Friars Walk became a reality under his leadership.

"That was an incredibly difficult and important job.

"I just hope I can build on his legacy."

She added she hoped she could bring a sense of positivity to the council, saying: "I'm a glass half full kind of girl.

"It's a bit Monty Python - always look on the bright side of life."