Residents spoke with KMTV Gabriel Morris at Canterbury's hustings event ahead of the Kent County Council elections.
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00:00They can't do it, it's not the council, but I want to see something done about poverty.
00:03I'm only just really concerned regarding their thoughts regarding the proposed changes,
00:09because halfway through their term in office, they're going to change to a unitary authority.
00:14The potholes are really bad, it doesn't matter whether it's city roads or urban roads or rural roads.
00:21All 81 seats are up for grabs in this all-out election.
00:25Kent County Council has been a conservative stronghold for most of its history,
00:30but new polling suggests that could all be about to change on May 1st.
00:35So what does the County Council actually do?
00:39It runs a huge range of services, from managing libraries and fixing potholes,
00:44to supporting adults in care and children with special educational needs.
00:49And at this, Canterbury Hustings an option for those issues to be brought up.
00:54There we go, nearly 90 minutes of debate there.
00:57But what I found interesting, very little issues were brought up regarding what Kent County Council could actually do,
01:03rather than national policies on trans rights and AI.
01:07And I think that's an important reminder that come next week's election, those national policies will play a part.
01:14So what did the audience actually care about most?
01:18So you asked a question about buses, actually probably the only one related to Kent County Council.
01:22Why did you ask that?
01:24I think transport, as someone who lives in a rural area, is very, very important to me.
01:28As me and my younger sister, we both commute to school.
01:31We take buses, we take trains.
01:32And it's been a bit of a struggle in recent years with the prices and the fares of trains and buses especially going up.
01:38I asked, well, it's very relevant to right now because the recent Supreme Court ruling about the 2010 Equality Act has put into question the rights of trans individuals.
01:49And obviously the question you asked, Kent County Council will have little responsibility when it comes to trans rights.
01:54But with that in mind, why do you think it's important that you heard their views tonight?
01:57It's important that they have awareness of the issues that they should be considering in the council and the citizens that they have a responsibility over
02:08and that they ensure that those individuals are prioritised as a marginalised group that's facing a lot of discrimination currently.
02:16You can find a full list of candidates on the Kent County Council website.
02:20But what matters most to you?
02:23And do national policies swear your vote in local elections?
02:27You'll get your say at the ballot box on May 1st.
02:31Gabriel Morris in Canterbury.