A LEADING councillor at Ashford has called for more action to cut the number of teenage pregnancies.

Cllr John Kemp told his fellow members of Ashford council's executive that various agencies are working to help cut Ashford teenage pregnancy rate but it seems that no-one is taking the lead.

"Ashford has one of the highest rates of teenage pregnancies in Kent," said Cllr Kemp and he quoted the town's latest conception figures for girls aged between 15 and 17 which show that, in the three-year period from 1999-2001 there were 50.5 conceptions per thousand of the population in that age range.

This compared with a figure of only 23.3 in Tunbridge Wells, he said. What was needed was someone to take the lead in co-ordinating the various agencies involved in combating teenage pregnancies, he insists.

The executive decided that this was a matter that could be taken up with the Ashford Primary Care Trust.

Later Cllr Kemp said: "We must try to do something - the figures for Ashford work out at two teenage pregnancies a week."

"Canterbury has cut its teenage pregnancy rates and so has Tunbridge Wells."

He wants to see the council's NHS open forum discuss the issue. The forum could not take action but it could allow everyone to suggest what needed to be done, he stressed.

Amanda Harrison, who co-ordinates Kent's teenage pregnancy services, said Cllr Kemp was right to be concerned about teenage pregnancy rates in Ashford and other parts of East Kent but wrong to say work to try to lower the figures was not led from the front.

Mrs Harrison said the various agencies involved were represented on committees that co-ordinated action in their districts. Ashford and Shepway's committee was chaired by Dr Ann Farebrother.

She agreed the figures of Ashford were among the highest in Kent, but those of Shepway, at 54 conceptions per thousand, and Thanet, at 60 per thousand, were higher.

The clear indication was that the higher rates were in socially deprived areas and these three districts contained such areas.

That was why the teenage pregnancy programmes were being concentrated in South Ashford.

Mrs Harrison said the figures quoted by Mr Kemp covered the three years up to 2001.

The Government-inspired teenage pregnancy programmes had been running for only the past year of this period yet the rate has dropped by 3.1 per thousand.

New figures were are due and she was confident there would be a further drop

Tina Owen, Ashford's school nurse team leader, said she had a representative on Dr Farebrother's co-ordinating committee. "It is doing its job," she said.