THE ethos of public service has been much-maligned in recent years, but it is something worth defending.

So as a council leader, I want to start my first column by saying thank you to all our public servants working locally.

Like police officers or NHS workers, council workers do difficult jobs, often for very modest reward.

But the work they do is vital.

Teaching our children and keeping them safe in school.

Providing social care for the elderly, the vulnerable, the disabled or children who would otherwise be at risk.

Keeping our communities as clean and green as possible.

Helping run the plethora of other local services or working behind the scenes to keep services going.

Yet their roles have been getting ever more pressured in recent years, as growing demand and big cuts in funding have meant that more work is being done by ever fewer people.

While they’ve never been highly paid – the average full-time council worker earns around £18,000, with many earning much less – their wages have decreased markedly in recent years, with several years of pay freezes.

Politicians like me are always demanding improved performance from services despite cuts to budgets.

I won’t apologise for that – it’s the reason I got into politics and the job I’m elected to do, to push for better services for the people I represent.

But that shouldn’t mean staff only get attention when things go wrong.

So I’d like to say how much I appreciate the expertise, dedication and commitment of those who run our local services.

Because without you, our communities and the public services we all rely on would be so much poorer.

That isn’t just sentimentality though.

Recognising and supporting staff is in the interests of those who rely on services, as well as those working in them.

Because working with staff in a supportive way is the most effective way to improve services in the longer term.

That’s why Torfaen moved to become a Living Wage Foundation employer last year, giving the lowest-paid 900 staff a pay rise.

It is also why I support the Trade Unions’ calls for the UK Government to fund a decent pay rise for public service workers.

It’s the right thing to do by hard-working staff.

It’s the right thing for the long-term survival of decent public services.

And it would also be good news for our local economy, as workers with more money in their pockets would boost local spending.

But only the UK Government can fund it.

So if they want to show they truly value public services, the ball is in their court.