Latest news with #PaulWebb
The Independent
05-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Reform council claim ‘trans-related' library book ban ‘not a change of policy'
A Reform-led council says its 'trans-related' library book ban is 'not a change of policy' after conflicting social media posts from councillors. In a post on social media, Kent County Council (KCC) leader Linden Kemkaran said the books were to be removed with immediate effect after a fellow Reform Councillor said he had been informed of 'transgender ideologies' in the children's section of a library. But KCC has since said that the book which triggered the ban was in fact on display at the front of a library in Herne Bay, rather than the children's section. The council's Liberal Democrat opposition leader, Antony Hook has said that Reform not following 'proper process' in the council and announcing things on social media has created uncertainty. Cllr Kemkaran added on X that 'telling children they're in the 'wrong body' is wrong and simply unacceptable' and said that 'trans-related' works would be removed from the children's sections of all 99 of the county's libraries. The book Reform were referring to was The Autistic Trans Guide to Life by Yenn Purkis and Dr Wenn Lawson, which is a book for autistic trans and/or non-binary adults marketed as providing 'tools and strategies they need to live as their best self'. There is no suggestion from the promotional material around the book that it contains any reference to telling children they are in the 'wrong bodies'. In his video posted to social media on Thursday, the Reform Cllr responsible for the ban Paul Webb claimed: 'I was recently contacted by a concerned member of the public who found trans-ideological material and books in the children's section of one of our libraries – I've looked into this, and it was the case, 'I have today issued an instruction for them all to be removed from the children's section of our libraries.' The council has since rowed back on his suggestion that the book was in the children's section and says that they have not, in fact, changed policy. A KCC spokesperson told PA Media: 'We have not changed policy. We have simply issued internal instructions to reaffirm existing expectations: that adult books are not to be placed in areas specifically aimed at children, such as children's sections or public welcome displays where children select books.' It is unclear how the council will classify transgender-related books, and whether there will be a tangible change as a result of this instruction. Cllr Webb, the Cabinet Member for Community & Regulatory Services said: 'We rightly place child protection and safeguarding at the very top of our list of priorities, as should all adults, especially those that hold public office.' Cllr Kemkaran heralded her colleagues' actions as showing 'courage and common sense in Kent' on X. Cllr Hook told the BBC: 'It is bizarre that the leader of the council is making announcements on social media, rather than to the council.' The copy of The Autistic Trans Guide to Life has been moved from a display at the front of the library 'to a section that is unlikely to be visited by children', the KCC spokesperson said.
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Reform council claim ‘trans-related' library book ban ‘not a change of policy'
A Reform-led council says its 'trans-related' library book ban is 'not a change of policy' after conflicting social media posts from councillors. In a post on social media, Kent County Council (KCC) leader Linden Kemkaran said the books were to be removed with immediate effect after a fellow Reform Councillor said he had been informed of 'transgender ideologies' in the children's section of a library. But KCC has since said that the book which triggered the ban was in fact on display at the front of a library in Herne Bay, rather than the children's section. The council's Liberal Democrat opposition leader, Antony Hook has said that Reform not following 'proper process' in the council and announcing things on social media has created uncertainty. Cllr Kemkaran added on X that 'telling children they're in the 'wrong body' is wrong and simply unacceptable' and said that 'trans-related' works would be removed from the children's sections of all 99 of the county's libraries. The book Reform were referring to was The Autistic Trans Guide to Life by Yenn Purkis and Dr Wenn Lawson, which is a book for autistic trans and/or non-binary adults marketed as providing 'tools and strategies they need to live as their best self'. There is no suggestion from the promotional material around the book that it contains any reference to telling children they are in the 'wrong bodies'. In his video posted to social media on Thursday, the Reform Cllr responsible for the ban Paul Webb claimed: 'I was recently contacted by a concerned member of the public who found trans-ideological material and books in the children's section of one of our libraries – I've looked into this, and it was the case, 'I have today issued an instruction for them all to be removed from the children's section of our libraries.' The council has since rowed back on his suggestion that the book was in the children's section and says that they have not, in fact, changed policy. A KCC spokesperson told PA Media: 'We have not changed policy. We have simply issued internal instructions to reaffirm existing expectations: that adult books are not to be placed in areas specifically aimed at children, such as children's sections or public welcome displays where children select books.' It is unclear how the council will classify transgender-related books, and whether there will be a tangible change as a result of this instruction. Cllr Webb, the Cabinet Member for Community & Regulatory Services said: 'We rightly place child protection and safeguarding at the very top of our list of priorities, as should all adults, especially those that hold public office.' Cllr Kemkaran heralded her colleagues' actions as showing 'courage and common sense in Kent' on X. Cllr Hook told the BBC: 'It is bizarre that the leader of the council is making announcements on social media, rather than to the council.' The copy of The Autistic Trans Guide to Life has been moved from a display at the front of the library 'to a section that is unlikely to be visited by children', the KCC spokesperson said.
Times
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Times
Reform council bans trans books from children's section of libraries
A Reform council has banned transgender-related books from children's sections of council libraries 'in a victory for common sense in Kent'. Linden Kemkaran, the leader of Kent county council, said the books would be removed immediately. Writing on social media, Kemkaran said: 'Telling children they're in the 'wrong body' is wrong and simply unacceptable.' Kemkaran posted a photo a book named The Autistic Trans Guide to Life as an example. The book appeared to have been put on temporary display for Pride month at Herne Bay Library. A number of locals said on social media that the display was in the welcome area of the library, not the children's section. The ban was overseen by Paul Webb, a Reform councillor. In a video, he said: 'I was contacted by a concerned member of the public who found trans ideological material and books in the children's section of one of our libraries. • Here in Kent they want to stop the boats. Did voting Reform help? 'I've today issued an instruction for all of it to be removed from the children's section of any our our libraries. They do not belong there, our children to do not need to be told they were born in the wrong bodies. From today, this will stop.' Reform won outright control of Kent county council at the local elections in May. Kemkaran has previously refused to fly a rainbow flag for Pride month, and said she saw having a Ukrainian flag in the council chamber as a 'distraction'. The council has also launched a 'Doge' cost-cutting campaign inspired by Elon Musk, in which Reform's former chairman, Zia Yusuf, has taken a personal interest. Antony Hook, the Liberal Democrat leader of the council opposition, said it was 'bizarre' that Reform had announced the move on social media rather than at a council meeting. He said he had asked the head of Kent's libraries for a list of which books would be removed. Tristan Osborne, the Labour MP for Chatham & Aylesford, said the decision was 'unedifying baiting of the LGBT community'. Defending the decision, Webb told the BBC: 'In our society, children are quite rightly and properly protected from items and actions that could cause them harm — for example alcohol, cigarettes and gambling. 'My fellow Reform members and I believe that our young people should be protected from exposure to potentially harmful ideologies and beliefs such as those held by the trans lobbyists. 'As far as impact assessments are concerned, I would have thought that question should have been asked before these books were placed in the children's section to begin with.' Kent county council runs 99 community libraries and five mobile library vans. It is not yet clear whether the ban will cover Medway council, with which the council runs some joint agencies.
The Independent
04-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Reform UK run council removes all trans books from children's library section
A Reform UK-run counci l has removed all transgender-related books from children's sections in its libraries, the leader has announced. Kent County Council leader Linden Kemkaran said in a post on social media the books will be removed with immediate effect in a 'victory for common sense in Kent'. Councillor Paul Webb, cabinet member for communities and regulatory services at the council, said that he acted to remove all the books after concerns from a resident. In a video posted on X, he said: 'I was recently contacted by a concerned member of the public who found trans ideological material and books in the children's section of one of our libraries. 'I looked into it and this was the case. I have issued an instruction for them all to be removed from the children's section of any of our libraries. They do not belong in the children's section of our libraries. 'Our children do not need to be told they were born in the wrong bodies and from today this will stop.' It is understood that the books will not be completely removed but rather relocated to different sections in libraries. Ms Kemkaran added in a post on X: 'Telling children they're in the wrong body is wrong and simply unacceptable.' The book at the centre of the controversy is titled The Autistic Trans Guide to Life, which is described by its publishers as an 'essential survival guide gives autistic trans and/or non-binary adults all the tools and strategies they need to live as their very best self'. It is not yet known exactly which books will be removed and how the council will classify what 'trans material' is. Erin Strawbridge, manager of The Folkestone Bookshop, an LGBT+ bookshop in the county, told BBC Radio Kent: "Censorship does not stop people from learning information but it does send the message, and it's sending a message to the young people of Kent that they're not safe and they're not welcome if they're LGBT or trans. "It just pushes kids into the closet, into worse mental health situations. It's just going to scare young people." The county council is in charge of 99 community-run libraries. A statement from Kent County Council said: 'Kent County Council have confirmed that children are not and will not be exposed to adult transgender literature in our libraries. 'Staff at the county's 99 libraries have been asked to ensure that books are always stocked in age-appropriate categories and that no adult literature makes its way into areas specifically aimed at children, or where children will be selecting books, such as the public welcome displays. 'It follows feedback from a resident who spotted a transgender book aimed at adults in a public display at the entrance of one library in Kent. The book has since been relocated to a section that is unlikely to be visited by children.' Mr Webb added: 'We rightly place child protection and safeguarding at the very top of our list of priorities, as should all adults, especially those that hold public office.' The Kent Library Service confirmed that staff will 'ensure that only age-appropriate books are being displayed in children's sections of libraries' or areas where children will be selecting books to borrow.
Telegraph
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Reform council removes trans books from children's section at libraries
A Reform council has removed all transgender-related books from the children's section of its libraries, its leader has announced. Paul Webb, Reform's cabinet member who oversees libraries, said he had made the decision after a 'distressed' member of the public approached him with concerns about trans ideology books in the children's section of a library. Linden Kemkaran, Reform's leader of Kent county council, hailed the decision as a 'victory for common sense'. It is unknown how many books are to be removed or how the council will classify transgender-related books. The authority runs 99 community libraries and five mobile library vans. Reform won the council from the Conservatives, who had controlled it since 1997, as part of a sweep of victories at the local elections in May. In a video posted on X, Mr Webb said: 'I was recently contacted by a concerned member of the public who found trans-ideological material in the children's section of one of our libraries. I have looked into this and this was the case. 'I've today issued an instruction for them all to be removed from the children's section of any of our libraries. 'They do not belong in the children's sections of our libraries. Our children do not need to be told they were born in the wrong bodies. So, from today (July 2) this will stop.' According to a post by Ms Kemkaran on X, the books that appear to be on the removal list include: The Autistic Trans Guide to Life, written by two leading autistic trans activists; How to be a Girl: A Mother's Memoir of Raising her Transgender Daughter and This Arab is Queer, a collection of memoir and personal stories by Arab LGBTQ+ writers. She added: 'Telling children they're in the 'wrong body' is wrong and simply unacceptable.' The decision was criticised by Antony Hook, the Liberal Democrat leader of the opposition, who said: 'It is bizarre that the leader of the council is making announcements on social media, rather than to the council.' Mr Hook told BBC News he had written to the head of Kent library services to ask for an update on what books were to be removed. The move comes as Reform's newly elected council leaders continue their push for the removal of all flags that are not the Union flag or that of the local area. Last month, Monica Fogarty, the chief executive of Warwickshire county council, defied an order from the council's newly elected leader to take down a Pride flag. Zia Yusuf, the head of Reform's department of government efficiency, claimed the refusal showed that 'a coup d'etat is under way in Britain'.
