Monday’s meeting of the Full Council was successful, if not brief.

I am delighted that councillors approved the £142m budget for 2014/15 that will support crucial services in our town as well as provide investment to bring the new businesses and jobs we need. At the same time, it will secure £17m of savings.

I am pleased to say, we will do all this without raising Council Tax.

While many words were spoken in the debate, very few viable alternatives were offered by the opposition.

In fact, over 97 per cent of money we proposed spending in the budget was not challenged or debated at all. It was accepted. I would like to pay tribute here to the Council’s officers and to Councillor Russell Holland, the Cabinet Member for Finance.

To protect so many core services that look after the most vulnerable in your society – the elderly, those with learning difficulties, and the protection of children – is no easy task. These services, while vital to those who need them, are largely unknown to the rest of us.

You are unlikely to see these listed as issues of concerns on an opinion survey, or mentioned to us on the doorstep. However, where local authorities get these wrong, as, sadly, some have over the years, the results can be fatal.

What pleases me most about the budget is how little will appear to change in the short term. The tough, but necessary, decisions to change how the Council operates over the past decade mean that you will not see the numerous closures of buildings and services that are happening elsewhere. All you will see is that your borough Council Tax next year is the same as last year.

That means we will be concentrating on the future. First, we will be using money we get from government from building houses – the New Homes Bonus – for an infrastructure fund. This will help pay for the schools and roads that we will need to support growth, and it will send a clear message to businesses that Swindon has an ambition to remain an economic powerhouse.

Second, we will continue the changes at the Council to make sure we secure the right results for Swindon, particularly for those services that provide essential care. Let no one be in any doubt about how difficult this is.

It is like trying to redesign and rebuild an aircraft in flight, without injuring any passengers. Only some of the changes will be uppermost in residents’ minds, but they are essential nonetheless. I make no apology for that.

This budget, along with the Council’s corporate strategy, is evidence that this administration has a clear, positive vision for the whole borough.