Here's the latest Argus column by Caerphilly County Borough Council leader Cllr Philippa Marsden:

AS WE approach the end of 2020 I wanted to take this opportunity to reflect on the past 12 months and look ahead to what 2021 has in store for us all.

I’m sure you will agree that 2020 has been a rollercoaster ride and a year like no other in living memory. All our lives have been impacted by the unprecedented global pandemic which has overshadowed the past year – and unfortunately many of us have lost loved ones to this terrible virus. My thoughts are very much with you at this time.

Looking back to the beginning of the year, we had big plans in 2020. However, the early part of the year was dominated by a series of major storm events (Dennis, Ciara, Jorge) which had a huge impact on our community. After the dry out and the big clean-up, we started looking forward to spring and brighter times ahead…but then coronavirus struck. The country entered lockdown at the end of March and the council was required to respond and reshape its services to meet the pressures and challenges of this global emergency and the needs of our communities.

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We mobilised our workforce to support all in our communities – especially our most vulnerable and elderly. I am so proud of the way in which the whole organisation stepped up and staff did whatever was required of them.

We provided an amazing free school meal service throughout the pandemic, we opened our schools as childcare hubs for key workers, we mobilised an invaluable ‘community response’ service to provide support for all those people who were shielding, we provided tens of millions of pounds in grant support to local businesses struggling due to the lockdown – and we still managed to provide all our key services with many staff working remotely.

Staff across all our care teams have been exemplary in their commitment to supporting and caring for the most vulnerable residents in society. Care staff, along with colleagues in the NHS, are the unsung heroes of the pandemic and we would like to thank them all for their amazing efforts throughout.

The impact of our collective efforts over the last year have been phenomenal – communities working alongside their council – this is the power of ‘Team Caerphilly’.

I hope that 2021 will be a better year, particularly as we now have the beginnings of an effective vaccination programme in place, which offers us all a route-map out of the pandemic. However, it is so important to appreciate that the vaccination programme will take many months to complete, so we must remain vigilant and continue to adhere to the rules in order to protect everyone.

2020 has been an exceptionally difficult year, but I have been truly humbled by the sense of community spirit, selfless acts of kindness and courage shown during 2020 and this is a positive legacy that I hope will continue as we move forward.

Stay safe and keep well.