Families across Monmouthshire are once again feeling the squeeze, and increasingly, it is being driven not just by domestic pressures, but by instability far beyond our shores.

The ongoing conflict in the Middle East is extremely worrying for us all and it is having a very real impact here at home. Rising global energy prices are feeding directly into higher fuel costs and increased heating bills for households already under strain.

Indeed, those people heating with oil will be seeing costs rise by over 250 per cent.

All this at the same time as food prices continue to climb as supply chains tighten and production costs rise.

The weekly shop is costing more, filling the fuel tank is costing more. The pressure this is bringing to many will be immense.

While we cannot control global instability, governments both nationally and locally can control how we respond to it, and whether we add to the burden families are already carrying.

The arrival of this year’s council tax bills will hit particularly hard. A 5.95 per cent increase in Monmouthshire follows three consecutive years of steep rises. For many households, this will feel like yet another blow at precisely the wrong time.

Of course, councils face genuine financial pressures. But after years of above-inflation increases, it is entirely reasonable for residents to ask where is the limit and where is their say?

The Welsh Conservatives have set out a clear alternative. We believe that if a council wishes to increase council tax by more than 5%, it should be required, as in England, to put that decision directly to local people in a local referendum. It is a simple principle - if you are asking residents to pay significantly more, they should have the final say.

This is not about denying the challenges councils face, it is about restoring balance and accountability. When global events are already driving up the cost of living, it cannot be right that local taxation continues to rise with so little direct public consent.

So, we need the Uk government to use its levers to reduce pressures on fuel costs for businesses and individuals. We need Welsh government to step up too and councils to recognise when enough is enough.

Monmouthshire residents are resilient, but that resilience is being tested. They deserve not just understanding, but action and a stronger voice in the decisions that affect their finances.

I close by hoping peace prevails soon in the Middle East, not just for the poor people directly affected, but for the millions living with the consequences.