The Thameslink service from Bearsted, Maidstone East and West Malling to Central London is long overdue. New Secretary of State for Transport, Grant Shapps, should ensure the service becomes operational in December, as promised by his predecessor, Chris Grayling, last October.

The Thameslink service had first been proposed when the Maidstone East to London Cannon Street service was withdrawn in December 2009. Thameslink is due to provide a fast service every ½ hour into Central London and on to Cambridge. This is absolutely vital for the residents and businesses based in Kent's County Town.

Rob Bird welcomes the election of Jo Swinson as the new Leader of the Liberal Democrats

Jo Swinson will bring a new dynamic to the party and to the country. She is fed up with the broken politics of Westminster and the failure of the two party system to reach out to all people across the country. Too many people feel that they have been ignored or taken for granted by the Conservative and Labour parties, preoccupied by their own self-interest and political infighting. Only the Liberal Democrats have the values, the ideas and the common strength of purpose to stand up to those who are doing so much to damage our country.

At the County Council meeting on 11th July the Liberal Democrats were due to propose a motion calling for Kent County Council to remove peak time restrictions for disabled persons bus passes. The motion was withdrawn by the County Council Chairman following a last minute objection by KCC's senior financial officer.

I'd firstly like to thank the Cabinet Member for his response at the last County Council meeting regarding glyphosate-based weed killers. However, I still have significant concerns about the way this chemical is being used within Kent, particularly on roads and
footpaths where it is being allowed to run-off into the water system. Indeed, the official product guidance for Roundup ProActive which is used by KCC states, 'keep out of drains, sewers, ditches and water ways.' Other manufacturers of similar glyphosate-based weed killers refer to their product as hazardous waste and recommend even more stringent controls.

After a major sinkhole less than a mile away on the adjoining Tonbridge Road caused closures for a period of 5 months last year. Many residents are becoming increasingly concerned that more sinkholes could yet appear in the area. Could the Cabinet Member
for Planning, Highways, Transport and Waste confirm whether KCC has access to Lidar technology, or other similar means of identifying potential geological weaknesses and faults on its roads? If so, is this being proactively used to try and detect possible sinkholes before they emerge?

Following the news that Manston Airport is to be imminently sold to a group which plans to reopen it as an airport, could the Cabinet Member for Planning, Highways, Transport and Waste please clarify what implications this will have on the contingency arrangements for the site to be used as a lorry park in the event of a no-deal Brexit?

Around a fifth of working age people live with a disability. For many of these people one of the biggest challenges of getting into work is the journey to work and back home.

Disabled person's bus passes in Kent are operative during off-peak hours, from 9:30am to 11pm on weekdays. The pass is therefore too late for most disabled people needing to take a bus to work. However, in Wales, Scotland and some other parts of England, such restrictions do not apply.