Hook praises asylum support group

Rev Setchell's team: 'superb'

By SIMON FINLAY

    LOCAL Liberal Democrat Anthony Hook has paid tribute to Dover vicar Norman Setchell for his work with asylum seekers. Rev Setchel1 runs the Dover Asylum Seekers Support Group which Mr Hook lent a helping hand to over Christmas.

SERVED: Anthony Hook	Praised: Rev Norman Setchell

    Mr Hook, the defeated Lib Dem candidate at the election, said: "The work done by the support group led by Norman is superb. I have no doubt that, if they stay here, many of the young people I met will become valuable members of society."

    The group offers a social venue for children, teenagers and parents and Mr Hook served them refreshments.
    He said that it was a timely reminder that despite talk of 'bogus' asylum seekers, many people arriving locally are genuinely fleeing persecution from places like Iraq or Afghanistan. He added: "We should not forget that a significant number of people who come here are fleeing terror in their own countries.
    "At the support group, I met people from the former Yugoslavia and central Asia some of whom had the most harrowing stories to tell of what had driven them to leave their homelands."

    He said that Kent MEP Chris Huhne continues to fight for a better asylum system for all.
    Mr Hook claimed that his party had 'scored a great victory' when the government caved in and scrapped the voucher system.
    He added: "Vouchers proved degrading to refugees and an expensive way of sounding tough. Now we must make the process of assessing each application faster and ensure fairness."