It barely seems like yesterday that the schools broke up with all the promise of the holidays ahead of us. And now, here we are about to start another school year and another council term.

Congratulations to all those who have received their exam results in the last week or so. I hope your hard work has paid off. If you didn’t get the results you wanted or expected, don’t despair: there’s no wrong route to your future working life, and lots of people – myself included - didn’t take an obvious path to get to where they are now. The important thing to remember is that you’re not on your own. If you’re not sure what step to take next, register at glasgowguarantee.org today.

During the council recess the new City Government has been busy chiselling away on how we will deliver the change the people of Glasgow asked of us in May when we became the first new political administration in this city in almost 40 years.

We set out a 100-Day plan of action and over the next fortnight, as that milestone gets ever closer, we will be making a series of announcements on what we have achieved so far. Just yesterday we delivered on our aim to settle the long-drawn out school janitors’ dispute in time for the new school year. We promised a change to the culture of how our city has been run and to change both the reality and perception of the relationship between the council, its residents, businesses and all those with a vested interest in the wellbeing of Glasgow.

Right now a process is underway which aims to give our communities a stronger voice in influencing decisions on how money is locally spent. Details of how you can engage with our new Glasgow Community Plan are on the council’s website.

The findings of a summer-long consultation on a City Charter, a road map for how we will meet the standards and expectations of Glaswegians, will be made public by the end of the month.

We also promised an independent review of the council’s governance, to learn from past issues and how this has impacted upon Glasgow’s reputation and I will make an announcement on this in the coming weeks. It is absolutely crucial that the City Council and new City Government is able to move on from some of the negative perceptions which have dogged Glasgow for far too long.

And of course one of my early decisions was to settle the first of the long-running equal pay disputes. The work required to assess how much our low-paid, primarily female, staff will receive is complex and protracted. But rest assured work is ongoing to finally pay our workers what they have been due all these years.

By the time my next column comes around, I fully expect to have given our citizens a full assessment of our first 100 days running this great city. We may have been slightly blown off course by the restrictions around June’s General Election but I trust by the end of the month Glasgow will see the firm foundations for change.

One of the immediate impressions of my first three months as leader of the council is the quality and sheer dedication of our staff. Over the next month or so I will be taking the opportunity to meet with as many sections the workforce as I can.

It is incredible how much work council staff do that the public do not see but which keeps them and their loved ones safe: from our trading standards and licensing teams to our home carers; from our learning assistants through to our head teachers.

The City Government is there to listen to questions and issues from our staff and where we can, we will give answers. The council family employs close to 30,000 people, most of whom live within the city. These people are ambassadors for the council. Their views influence the popular views of the council. They are our most important asset. My door will always be open to those who work in the service of our citizens.

Glasgow loves a good mascot. We took Clyde, the cheeky thistle who became the face of the 2014 Commonwealth Games, to our hearts. You might still see him hanging around the City Chambers. And Kingsley, the mascot for Partick Thistle FC, has become a most unlikely icon for the city. (I’ve yet to work out just what Kingsley is.)

And now there’s Bonnie the Seal, the mascot for 2018 Glasgow European Championships, an event which will recreate the spirit and atmosphere of the 2014 Games. Bonnie is as cute as they come, and she’s got a terrific tale to tell about having a go and enjoying sport, even if you’ll never be a champion. I’m sure Glaswegians will love her.