SO 2014 is already a week old, but this is my first opportunity to wish you a happy new year. As we pack away the last of the Christmas decorations, I want to say thank you to the many charities, community groups and volunteers who do such vital work in Swindon over the festive season.

Our thoughts at Christmas always turn to those without a permanent home, and that’s why organisations such as Booth House and Threshold are so important. And of course there’s Christmas Care – the charity that operates a shelter for homeless people at Queen’s Drive Methodist Church. They offer warmth – both literally and metaphorically, a bed and plenty of food for anyone who needs it. Christmas Care only works because of the dedication of many volunteers, and one in particular has been instrumental throughout its history. Betty Spence retired this year after being a stalwart of the charity for 25 years. Fittingly, Betty has been crowned Life President of Christmas Care and I feel sure she will still be involved, as she is with many other good works in the local community. People like Betty typify the spirit of Swindon, and long may it continue.

And so we move on to the New Year, and politics rears its head again. Already we’ve had a flurry of announcements, interviews and speeches. I particularly welcomed David Cameron’s commitment that a future Conservative government will stick to what’s called the ‘triple lock’ when it comes to pensions. This ensures that retired people, who have contributed to our country throughout their working lives will never again fall behind in terms of their income. The triple lock guarantees that the state pension will increase every year in line with either the rate of inflation, the average rise in wages, or 2.5 per cent, whichever is the highest. We’re able to make that commitment only because of the difficult decisions we’ve taken about the pension age, welfare reforms and savings to the public purse.

On Monday George Osborne signalled that more savings will be needed in future, with a £25bn reduction in public spending.

There’s still a long way to go in fixing the UK’s economy and paying off the debt, but as 2014 starts, there are reasons to be optimistic. Unemployment is falling, economic growth is rising and business confidence is returning. But what really matters is how people feel in the real world: families and pensioners here in Swindon need to be confident about their own circumstances, and we’ll keep working to achieve this. 2014 will be ‘another year of hard truths’, as the Chancellor put it this week, but I firmly believe that we are turning the corner.