I hope all of you had an enjoyable and relaxing Christmas Day with your loved ones. Of course, the festive season can be an incredibly lonely time for those who have no-one to turn to.

So if you have a neighbour who is in this situation, pop round to say ‘hello’. A friendly face can lift the spirits at the best of times, but especially at this time of year.

This is my last column of 2019 and there is a lot to look back on from what has been a busy 12 months. In fact, we also have a lot to be proud of as we head into a new decade.

There have been a lot of positive developments within the town centre with the rejuvenation of Wellington Street opposite the train station, a new Hampton by Hilton hotel being created in the old Paragon Laundry building, while Whitbread acquired the former Aspen House site to build a brand new Premier Inn and Bar +Block steakhouse. Our plans to transform Fleming Way also made it through the first round of the Government’s funding process.

We now have only the second heritage action zone in the south west, covering our historic Railway Village, and work is well underway to create a cultural heritage institute at the Carriage Works, which will be run by Royal Agricultural University.

As a council we have acquired tens of millions in government funding to help pay for major road improvements in the east of the town before the New Eastern Villages are created and £22.9m was also secured from the Department for Transport to build a tunnel under the M4 to create a vital access into Wichelstowe.

Speaking of Wichelstowe, work has begun on the new homes at Canalside, which are being built as part of a joint venture between the council and Barratt Developments PLC, and the new footbridge has been installed at the district centre.

On the educational front, three new schools opened their doors to pupils in September. The Deanery Church of England Academy secondary in Wichelstowe, William Morris Primary School in Tadpole Garden Village and Badbury Park Primary School at Badbury Park. We also received the fantastic news in the spring that Swindon would be getting a new institute of technology and in the summer our children’s services team were graded as good by Ofsted.

Important strides were also taken to improve the borough’s environment this year. In September, we launched our Forest Meadows Project which will enhance urban meadows and forest habitats while improving people’s health and wellbeing is about to be launched in Swindon.

We also approved a planning policy which will require housebuilders to install electric vehicle charging points in new homes, while new retail developments will also be required to provide charging points in 10 per cent of parking spaces with the option for extending it.

There is plenty of energy here at the council to get even more done for our town next year.

In the meantime I wish you all a very Happy New Year.