In an unprecedented attack new county councillor Eber Kington opposed the election of Surrey County Council’s new leader, Dr Andrew Povey.

Coun Kington fought for the right to be allowed to speak at what is normally a formal occasion and lodged his objection to the new leader but was overwhelmingly outvoted at the council meeting on Wednesday.

Coun Kington, Epsom and Ewell, was elected as a county councillor earlier this month.

His concerns over the management of Surrey County Council grew after what he said he learned in a private session organised for new councillors.

He said: “We were given a devastating run down of what was wrong with Surrey County Council.

“There is an attitude of ‘if it is not invented in Surrey it can’t possibly be any good’.

“I stood up and opposed the appointment of Dr Povey because he had not come clean about what is wrong with the county before the election.”

And he objected to a new method of administration that will put more power in the hands of a few people when the number of backbenchers on the scrutiny committee has been reduced.

Surrey County Council was given a one star grading – the lowest grade – in a recent assessment of its services largely as a result of a damning Ofsted report on its services for vulnerable children.

Since the report the services have undergone a major restructure and the council is determined to boost its social services record.

Councillor Povey set out his priorities for the county in his speech.

One of his priorities will be reducing antisocial driving on Surrey’s roads and he announced a £1m programme with Surrey Police to cut speeding and antisocial driving.

He said: “Everything we do will focus on what is important to residents.

“They told us speeding and aggressive driving was their biggest concern across the county and we will take action.”

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