In our virtual council meeting last week, I was pleased to be able to wear a T-shirt from Fairfield AFC Junior football club paying tribute to our NHS and the fantastic staff who work in it.

Like their NHS colleagues, local government workers in so many areas have stepped up to the plate at a time of great need. They’ve kept services running, taken care of the vulnerable and helped address the impacts of the pandemic.

Local care workers have gone above and beyond the call of duty to protect and care for some of our most vulnerable residents. They have delivered more than 100,000 hours of care in peoples own homes and taken care of residents in care homes.

As well as keeping existing services running in tough times, council staff have volunteered for redeployment with great enthusiasm, for example helping us get in touch with around 4,000 shielding residents to offer support and advice. They’ve also been redeployed to the critical role of the contract tracing team, who rapidly track people who have been in contact with positive cases and prevent further transmission in the community.

As well as helping with distance learning and the re-opening of schools this week, teachers, schools staff, play service, youth service and sports development staff have combined to run childcare hubs for key workers. I visited one of these centres recently and was truly impressed by the safe, caring ‘home from home’ atmosphere they helped create, while providing 4,600 days of support for local children.

Other staff have helped in the background. IT staff at the SRS worked to provide 1,200 laptops and 550 MiFi devices to help children without the necessary equipment to learn at home. Libraries staff set up a new click and collect service. Staff in business support have helped us pay out £16.5m in support grants to Torfaen businesses, to help them through these difficult times.

Our refuse and recycling teams have been stars. Despite having to work with fewer staff than usual and having to adapt to new working practices to increase safety, they’ve collected 170 tonnes of recycling, an increase of 55 per cent. Staff at the Household Waste Recycling Centre worked to re-open with a new booking centre – thank you to them and to residents for helping make that system work so smoothly.

I could go on. Beyond public services, there are countless heroes in our communities, from shop workers to delivery drivers and more. Volunteers have played a vital part, helping with food deliveries, delivering prescriptions, making calls and keeping an eye out for others.

When this pandemic is past, I hope we never forget the role that public servants, key workers and community volunteers have played in helping us through. To all those who’ve played a part, and all who are staying home and taking care to stop the spread, thank you.