KENT TORIES MISS THEIR CHANCE TO MAKE CHILDREN SAFER

At today’s meeting of Kent County Council, the Tory administration voted down a Labour Group proposal that would have helped to make children safer in Kent.

As the Council considered the annual report of the Kent Safeguarding Children Board, KCC Labour Group Shadow Cabinet Members for Children, Families & Education Christine Angell and Clive Hart proposed and seconded an amendment which asked for a more detailed follow-up report to come back to County Council next year. Tory Council Members voted down their amendment after the Conservative Leader Paul Carter and Cabinet Member Chris Wells spoke against it. 

Christine Angell said: “Right now, the Government is consulting on how to vet and bar unsuitable people from working with vulnerable children and adults. We wanted to see a report come back to Council next year which would take into account the results of the Labour Government’s work. But Kent’s Tories voted against spending any time looking at this important subject.” 

Clive Hart said: “The Tory Leader of the Council, Paul Carter, told us that if our amendment was passed, we’d be deciding a future Council agenda ‘on the hoof’. We wanted a more detailed report in April next year – that’s four months away. If KCC’s as excellent as it keeps telling everyone, surely it would be able to produce a report in four months on something as crucial as keeping children safe?

“Mr Carter told us that the agendas for Council meetings are tight. As far as we in Kent Labour are concerned, time is never too tight to look out for the county’s children.”