Antony Hook has made his first speech to Kent County Counci in his role as Leader of Kent Liberal Democrats.

In his four-minute speech Antony:

• Congratulated members elected to Kent County Council
• Introduced new Liberal Democrats members Mike Sole and Richard Streatfeild
• Called on the council to work together to achieve recovery after the pandemic
• Highlighted the gulf between seats allocated to the Conservatives versus the much smaller share of votes they received from Kent's people
• Set out liberal values that will guide the Liberal Democrat Group - such as belief in the open society with equal opportunity for all
• Called for people to be "liberated from poverty, ignorance and conformity"
• Said he is optimistic about Kent's future
• Called on Kent to become the leading council in the UK for embracing new technology

Antony Hook has been elected as new Leader of Kent Liberal Democrats.

He will lead the Liberal Democrat Group at County Hall and was elected unaniously by Liberal Democrat county councillors.

Antony Hook is 41, married with two daughters and represents Faversham on Kent County Council.

He is fomer Member of the European Parliament for South East England.

Following the Kent County Council election on 6 May 2021, the following Liberal Democrats were elected:

Ian Chittenden - Maidstone North East

Dan Daley - Maidstone Central

Trudy Dean - Malling Central

Antony Hook - Faversham

Richard Streatfeild - Sevenoaks Town

Mike Sole - Canterbury South

Antony Hook said,

Trudy Dean sets out some of the challenges which Kent County Council needs to address to help all children and young persons get the best start in life.

The Liberal Democrats believe that the financing of Education in the UK is too heavily skewed toward Secondary Education at the expense of the all-important formative Early Years and argue for greater funding of Early Years settings. There is a particular need for greater focus on speech development and creative play for children from poorer backgrounds to try to ensure that their life chances are not limited from the start.

Liberal Democrat County Council Candidate for Deal and Walmer, Penelope James, backs the six priorities of Kent Liberal Democrats.

"Caring for our community, our environment and our residents are key priorities for Kent Liberal Democrats. They have never been more important than now as we emerge from the pandemic.

Bus Passes are no longer valid before 9:30am despite commitments made 18 months ago.

Travelling by bus is a lifeline for many people with disabilities. The Disabled Persons Bus Pass and, where needed, the Companion Pass provide invaluable free bus travel for disabled people needing to get to the shops, to the doctors or to work. Earlier this month, Kent County Council stopped disabled persons from using their passes before 9:30am.

"The Government's Bus Strategy is long overdue but very welcome", writes Baroness Jenny Randerson

"First promised in 2019, since then the crisis in our bus services has worsened, because for the last year the Government has actively discouraged bus travel, seen as unsafe in the pandemic. This came on top of decades of decline, when there has been no strategy for bus services, left to the power of the market.