I’D LIKE to take this opportunity to wish all Vale residents a very happy New Year.

It has been a whirlwind first seven months as leader of the Vale of Glamorgan Council since the Conservative Party’s success at the local elections back in May.

I must admit I’ve found it something of a culture shock splitting my time between the family business and the demands of heading an organisation that plays such an important role in all our lives.

Often that has meant very long days, chairing council meetings and meeting with our partners in the private or voluntary sectors or attending scrutiny committees in the evening.

The run up to Christmas and New Year was another busy time, but thankfully there was some time to relax with the family over the festive period.

As I say, it has been a hectic second half of the year with many pressing issues to address so it was vital my colleagues in the cabinet and I hit the ground running after the May elections.

I’d like to think in the short time we have been in control there has already been significant progress made in some of the areas that most affect Vale residents. And we will continue to fight for our communities amid challenging financial conditions in 2018.

One subject of major concern is the traffic situation in and around Dinas Powys. I’m sure most of us are aware of the problems of congestion in the area and that this is something that affects not only the village itself, but as the main transport link for the area, has consequences for the entire eastern Vale.

Residents’ opinions have been canvassed on the matter, and having met with those living locally myself, I understand first hand just how concerned they are and fully appreciate why this subject generates such strong feelings.

It is a complicated issue, but after years of inaction, we have taken real strides to address the problem. Funding has been secured from Welsh Government for a scoping exercise and the second stage of work into exploring potential solutions is well under way. Once the findings of studies that have been conducted are clear, I look forward to assessing the best way forward.

We have already moved to spend money on road resurfacing at the Merrie Harrier junction on the edge of Penarth to improve the condition of this busy transport route. Funding has also been gained from Welsh Government to investigate the possibility of improving access between the M4 and the Vale, potentially shortening journey times to the likes of Barry, the Airport and St Athan and enhancing the County’s appeal to investors.

This is an exciting initiative that could be hugely important for the Vale, possibly forming part of the Cardiff Capital Region City Deal, a £1.28 billion funding agreement with Welsh and National Government that will hopefully see large scale investment in the South East Wales area which should provide high quality job opportunities for Vale residents.

There are testing times ahead, with the council having to deal with financial pressures and a decrease in the settlement provided by Welsh Government. I have written to Welsh Government ministers on a number of occasions requesting “fair funding” for the Vale of Glamorgan as we continue to be one of the poorest funded authorities in Wales.

But with careful management, I’m confident the hurdles ahead can be overcome and we can all look to the future with real positivity.