It has never been a more challenging time to be a county councillor. Nor has it ever been more exciting. Being a county councillor means making a very real difference for the people of Cambridgeshire. Cambridgeshire county council is politically led and will remain so on my watch.

I need to remind everyone of the tough financial position we find ourselves in. The county council has been in safe Conservative hands for many years and as a result we have a very low tax base as you would expect.

Reserves are as low as they can be, some might say they are too low. Government is cutting back on our funding. People are living longer with more complex conditions that are expensive to manage. We are seeing a boom in youngsters resulting in us having to build schools like they are going out of fashion.

We are seeing massive growth as a result of economic success. During the last census period we had 12.4% growth, the most in the Country.

This is because as a County we are successful, with a vibrant economy, a wonderful county that people want to live in, with a quality of life second to none.

We must continue to build on this success, providing jobs for our people, apprenticeships for our youngsters, homes and transport fit for purpose and affordable. We must continue to protect the elderly, the infirm, the vulnerable and the young.

How we fund it will be the issue.