As the children go back to school and the weather turns wetter and cooler, there is a real sense of change in the air.

I never get tired of appreciating how wonderful our county is, whatever the weather or the season. And alongside the wild and wonderful hills that shape part of the county, I am always aware of how much work you, our residents, put into keeping our towns and villages looking so good. It couldn’t happen without you and I want you to know how much you are appreciated.

Your county council also plays an important role here, working with partners in keeping walking routes accessible, maintaining open spaces and parks and filling our towns with flowers, as well as safeguarding the breathtaking scenery of the Usk and Wye valleys and the hills in our part of Bannau Brycheiniog.

But a mainly rural area has its challenges too – not least the whole transport infrastructure. Despite that, I am quietly confident that we are making progress. We have new local bus routes and new bus stop electronic displays. As a council, we have been investing in what we call ‘active travel routes’ which is our shorthand for journeys made by modes of transport that are fully or partially people-powered. That includes walking, people using wheelchairs, and cycling (including e-bikes). We make it a priority to encourage this with new developments and changes to existing paths, pavements and crossings.

At the other end of the scale, many of you will also be happy to hear that we have put still more money into road repairs. It is a never-ending battle and as the winter approaches and the weather changes, the challenges increase. And while on the subject of transport, I am delighted to report that Abergavenny station will at last have an access bridge. We are pushing for still more rail improvements to take traffic off the roads in the south of the county and promoting a plan for a new station at Pontrilas, just over the Herefordshire border in the very north of our county.

I know that fast approaching is the season of storms and perhaps flooding. We have already had major landslips in the county. Climate change is here and the risks and cost of it is not going to decrease. So as a council we are working to increase our resilience to ‘weather events’ and to provide emergency help. That, too, is part of the complex jigsaw that is Monmouthshire.