Town councillors have been left "disappointed" by the response of the new county leader to a call for support for local trans and LGBTQ+ residents.

Earlier this year Kenilworth Town Council made a "clear statement" of support for trans people in the wider Warwickshire area by backing a motion which "celebrates the contribution that the trans community, binary and nonbinary, makes to the town".

The motion, presented by Cllr Akira Summers, came in response to the recent UK Supreme Court Ruling and the interim guidance from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) on gender which said - among other things - transgender people should not be allowed to use public toilets of the gender they live as.

The town council wrote to MP Sir Jeremy Wright, the police and crime commissioner and Warwick District Council on the matter.

And while each provided detailed and comprehensive responses, the new leader of Warwickshire County Council (WCC), Cllr George Finch, was criticised for his short reply.

Cllr Mark Stevens said at last week's town council meeting: "We have had a very limited response - is the best way to put it - from the new leader. 

"It doesn't quite reflect the response we had hoped for."

Cllr Finch's response simply said: "I thank Cllr Stevens for bringing this to my attention. 

"I shall be following the progress of this draft legislation. 

"As yet it is not a statutory matter, we shall be considering our response should that change."

Cllr Stevens added: "Disappointing is the word. 

"It does not quite reflect what we thought we would get given the gravity of the situation. 

"An unsatisfactory outcome."

The response from the teenage council leader comes as LGBTQ+ staff group at WCC has criticised the "deeply unsettling" new flag policy at Shire Hall which has come in response from Cllr Finch requesting the pride flag be removed from the building earlier this year.