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Jamie Pritchard is the leader of Caerphilly County Borough Council. He is also a Labour councillor representing the Morgan Jones ward.

On Tuesday November 11, I was elected as the new leader of Caerphilly County Borough Council. Can I say I’m delighted to have been elected to this role. It is indeed an honour and means I’ll probably have to pinch myself from time to time.

It is of course a bit of a journey from when I was first elected to the council in 2012, where I spent the first five years on the back benches, to be standing in the leader’s position 13 years later. I’d like to think it’s possible for anybody who starts off on the back benches to make it into the leader role and I suppose for all those out there who haven’t even considered standing for election, for whatever reason, you never know what is possible. Back when I started my full-time working life as an 18-year-old steelworker, the thought of leading this council was not on my radar in the slightest. But here I am, right in the thick of it.

Now that the cabinet has been announced, I can confirm for the first time in Caerphilly County Borough Council’s history, we have a female-majority cabinet. I’m delighted that I am leading a cabinet that is diverse, with members of the cabinet bringing different qualities to the table. I also understand I’m the youngest leader in CCBC’s history, but I expect I will significantly age in just the first few months into this job.

So, to set out about what I will bring to this role. I’m going to do something that a leader of this council has never done before. I’ll be hosting regular question and answer sessions on key, strategic issues the council is facing. I’ll be asking residents to ask me challenging questions such as: Why are the reserves as high as they are? Why are you investing millions in new projects, but my other services are under pressure? Why is council tax at the level it is? What are you doing to reduce missed bin collections, and what are you doing to tackle homelessness? These are some examples, but there will be many more. I will be answering residents’ questions in a video format, starting very soon. Engaging and communicating directly to residents is very important to me.

What I am fundamentally against is division in our society. There is a real opportunity for people to come together to collaborate on shared values, bringing positive ideas to the table on how to improve our way of life for the better. I haven’t got all the ideas – but working closely with the community over the coming months, I will reach every corner of the county borough to make sure I engage with you on the issues you really care about.

I won’t be altering what I do on a local level in my own ward. The people of the Morgan Jones ward have elected me three times since 2012, so becoming leader does not change what I do as an everyday councillor. I’ll continue to be on the doorstep every week in the ward, staying connected to residents about those hyperlocal concerns. Becoming leader is no excuse to taking your foot off the gas locally.

I’m looking forward to working with the community, and I am grateful for the backing of the council.