A view from Regulatory Portfolio, Cllr Anne Parry

The past 12 months has been very much about change and adaptation, something that our officers have certainly had to do.

From day one of the Coronavirus pandemic, we were all in new territory and it has created a brand-new world for us all.

I am the Portfolio Holder for Regulatory and services within my portfolio include building Control, Central Administration, Environmental Health, Land Charges, Licensing and Planning Enforcement.

It has been a very challenging year for everyone, but I think one of the benefits that has come out of it all for my teams is a more closer working relationship.

Not only with each other, but with our partner organisations such as Warwickshire County Council, Warwickshire Trading Standards, Public Health Warwickshire and Warwickshire Police as we have all had to band together to get through this incredibly tough time.

It has definitely been a joined-up approach and it is a testament to them all that it has worked so well.

It has been particularly hard on the Environmental Health team, which has been very much 'at the coalface' and has had to transform from being a 'policing' team into what has become a more advisory role for organisations out there.

As we all know it's also been incredibly hard for establishments as they have had to improvise and adapt as well. The team have very much been providing a supporting role for them all - especially smaller businesses who may not be able to enforce safety measures as much as national companies.

There has been a lot of upskilling and a lot of on-the-job training because none of us have been through anything like this before; it was all brand new.

But they have all shown a huge amount of resilience and endeavoured to keep everyone safe throughout this crisis.

We have also seen an increase in the amount of dog owners not picking up after their pets throughout the district, which is a real shame but we are putting it down to people being at home more often.

Just a little reminder to dog owners, please pick up after your pets while out for you walks so that our streets and parks stay clean for all as there are a lot more people out and about than before.

It has not all been bad though. I am so pleased we have been able to give our residents such fantastic support from our amazing teams within the council.

Another good thing that has come out of all this is that the teams under my portfolio have strengthened their bonds and made sure they were all looking after each other's welfare - despite them working from home.

I would like to commend all of the officers of Stratford District Council for their hard work and dedication over the past 12 months - the past year has been tough and think it has been a big learning curve for us all.

But one thing that has shone through is how everyone from council staff, the public and business owners have faced this head-on and it is amazing how strong they have been throughout it all.