Tag: news

Demolition Likely for Historic Corner of Camden Road

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The Borough Council says it wants to spend up to £ 68 million of taxpayers money on new buildings including a three-screen “boutique” cinema in the centre of Tunbridge Wells.

The development plans would also see the end of the Victoria Snooker Centre in Camden Road which has hosted exhibition games featuring famous names like Ronnie O’Sullivan.

The Tunbridge Wells Borough Council plans are part of its efforts to revive the struggling Royal Victoria Place Shopping Centre, which it now owns.

The corner of Camden Road and the pedestrianised part of Calverley Road would be demolished and transformed into the modernist design shown below:

The corner was occupied by White Stuff chain in 2012 (see below) before the area was allowed to become derelict.

The Liberal Democrat-run council says it has worked with the community to “reimagine Royal Victoria Place as a more vibrant mixed-use destination, bringing together shopping, food and beverage, community leisure spaces and new homes.”

Six years ago a major development scheme devised by the then Conservative-run council to build a new theatre in Tunbridge Wells was abandoned after a rebellion by the party’s own councillors who thought the £100 million scheme would be a huge financial burden on council tax payers.

The council aims to get planning permission for the new scheme (see below) by the summer and get full council approval to go ahead by the autumn.

The scheme’s plans to demolish the Victoria Snooker Centre were reported on by the BBC’s Phil Harrison in December.

Jerome Bowman, who is campaigning to save the centre told the BBC: “Losing the club would mean losing a vital community hub, local heritage, a place to play one of Britain’s most popular sports and a place filled with shared memories.”

Read more here:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cq5q64zq791o

Details of a petition to save the snooker club – signed so far by 4,700 people – are here:
https://c.org/wDcWGyb9Hv

The facade of the Camden Road entrance to the snooker centre will be retained (see plans below), but everything behind it will be demolished.

The outside currently looks as shown below:

The snooker centre is the current occupier of the Friendly Societies Building designed in 1877, which is a key part of the town’s history.

The elephant heads either side of the door are part of the coat of arms of the Camden family, which was involved in the development of the town in the 1850s. Pictures of the ornate ceilings on the inside of the snooker centre – which will be lost – are shown below.

This was the council’s response to the question: Why not simply refurbish the current buildings?

“The Council has carefully considered whether refurbishment alone would be viable. However, the existing buildings cannot accommodate key elements of the proposed scheme – including the much-in-demand town centre cinema – without substantial alteration. As a result, parts of the buildings, particularly to the rear, would need to be removed to allow the new uses to be delivered while retaining and restoring the historic Camden Road frontage of the Friendly Societies Building.”

The developers say their scheme will: “draw on local materials, proportions and detailing to reinforce the town’s distinctive identity while delivering active frontages at ground and first floor and retaining important historic features.”

The council says a cinema would “respond to long-standing demand”, make efficient use of a constrained site and will boost the “top of town’s evening economy.” The cinema would be located above five new “family-focussed” restaurants.

Its statement argues that: “income from new tenants, as well as other sources such as car parking and business rates, will help repay the government loan funding the scheme, helping to protect the council’s investment.”

Meanwhile another part of the development, Palm Court, is also set for a big changes to its appearance (shown below):

The developers say: “A new covered roof will enclose the existing atrium void – a contemporary interpretation of the Victorian Palm House structures that inspired the space’s name.”

The council statement continues: “The former basement food court will be repurposed as a new anchor leisure destination linked directly to the new cinema and restaurants. Additional community-focused leisure space could also be delivered to the north of the site, with an entrance and active frontage onto Market Square.”

The latest consultation lasts just 10 days. Plans are available for viewing at the Royal Victoria Place Shopping Centre (between iStore and Kent Relief, a few doors down from Primark) between March 12th and March 23rd. More details at this site:
https://rvpfuture.com/

Planning experts will be available to answer questions on: Friday, March 13 from 2pm to 5pm; Saturday, March 14, from 10am to 2pm; and Saturday, March 21, from 10am to 2pm.

The council says more than 800 people took part in the first phase of engagement on development of the “Ely Court” and “Palm Court” areas. There were 434 detailed feedback responses. This compares with 4,600 people who say they want the Snooker Hall retained.

Tunbridge Wells Borough Council bought back the lease for the shopping centre from British Land in 2023. The Council says it has already made progress in reducing vacancies and attracting new businesses, including Søstrene Grene and Primark. 

Regulator’s Response to SE Water Failings is “Woeful”

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A group of Tunbridge Wells residents has attacked the water industry regulator for not taking strong enough measures to secure water supplies in the town.

The water regulator OFWAT said on Thursday it planned to fine South East Water £22 million for supply disruptions in a period ending three years ago.

But local resident Jonathan Hawker (pictured below) of the group, Dry Wells Action, said: “We are extremely disappointed that there is no action to impose leadership on this company, or to force upon it a remedial action plan for urgent improvements and expansion of the infrastructure serving Tunbridge Wells.”

Jonathan Hawker continued: “This is great news for David Hinton (chief executive of South East Water). He will continue in post, with remuneration (including vast non-performance related bonuses) of £500k each year.”

Jonathan Hawker said OFWAT’s announcement highlighted “the shortcomings of the organisations that are supposed to be representing consumers’ interests.”

He said: “Hot off the tails of the public relations own goal by the Consumer Council for Water, which decided to sneak South East Water’s chief executive, David Hinton (pictured below), into Tunbridge Wells to be “held to account by consumers”, in order to launch their consumer panel initiative, without thinking how it would look to have no consumer from Tunbridge Wells present, OFWAT has now hit us with the news that its sole sanction on the failing water company will be a fine that we will end up paying.”

Jonathan Hawker stated: “Given that South East Water has £1.3bn in debt on a turnover of less than £300mn, from which it made a loss of almost £20mn last year, it should be obvious to OFWAT that consumers will end up paying this fine either through increases in water bills or through the additional cost of debt at the company.”

He concluded: “Hitting consumers who have already suffered is not regulation. It is an admission that the regulator has no means to hold this company to account. OFWAT’s announcement is woeful.”

The Liberal Democrat MP for Tunbridge Wells, Mike Martin (pictured below), told the BBC the OFWAT fine indicated a repeated failure by South East Water to learn lessons. But the MP said the penalty was “completely toothless.”

Mike Martin said: “When you’re looking at a company that’s a billion pounds in debt, they’re not worried about a £22 million fine. What we need is something that has bite. And I think really it’s only the government that can make the decisions to push OFWAT to impose things onto companies like South East Water…and cause them to change their behaviour.”

Mike Martin MP continued: “When Emma Reynolds, the Environment Secretary, actually came to Tunbridge Wells in January, she announced that she was writing to OFWAT and asking them to investigate whether South East Water had breached the terms of their licence. All these water companies need a water licence from the government in order to operate. So the government DOES have purchase on these water companies.”

Mike Martin believes that a decision that South East Water had breached its licence would allow a “special administrative regime” to be imposed to force through investment by the company.

Mike Martin discussed the failures at the Pembury Water Treatment works which led to 50,000 people losing their drinking water for two weeks in December (area affected shown above).

Mike Martin revealed: I’ve pulled together a group of water experts to assess what needs to be done at Pembury to bring it up to scratch. To get over the under-investment backlog that we’ve suffered from for the last 20 years, it’s about 50 million quid.”

Mike Martin argued: “If they’d spent that money and it (Pembury water works) hadn’t fallen over, they wouldn’t be paying fines. They wouldn’t be paying 30 million in compensation and operational costs when they have an outage. Local businesses wouldn’t be losing out.”

Mike Martin continued: “So if you put them into SAR (Special Administrative Regime), when they fail their licence, then you force through rapid investment and upscaling in pinch points like Pembury Water Treatment Works. That is what would fix this system. Water treatment works by water treatment works, storage reservoir by storage reservoir.”

Mike Martin concluded: “The government has to get a grip and get a hold of these companies.”

Meanwhile, water industry expert Charles Hedges (pictured below) told Southborough News he was waiting for a full report from the Drinking Water Inspectorate on last year’s failures at Pembury Water Treatment Works before commenting in detail.

Charles Hedges said: “South East water needs to do two things. First, provide a comprehensive chronological description of all that has gone wrong since 9th of November. And the next thing, they they need to show an organisation chart that demonstrates they’ve got the skills to undertake the engineering works to rectify all the mistakes.”

The Interim Chief Executive of OFWAT, Chris Walters, was asked by the BBC on Thursday why the regulator’s report on the 2020-2023 failures had taken three years to produce.

Chris Walters replied: “Investigations do take time, especially investigations like this, because they involve a large amount of very complex, detailed engineering information that has to be very carefully assessed…We knew that we had to be specific and careful and detailed. So we didn’t make any slip ups, and we can do the best for customers.”

Chris Walters also rejected the suggestion that customers will end up paying South East Water’s fine: “We are proposing a £22 million fine. Crucially, that’s a fine that is paid by the company and its investors, not customers. It won’t show up on customer bills.”

Chris Walters continued: “The enforcement audit will require South East Water to take concrete, specific, legally enforcible steps to do better….South East Water needs to step up and take more ownership of the problem. Take the specific steps in the action plan and work more constructively with us and with other regulators in future.”

OFWAT has opened a new investigation into South East Water’s failure to supply drinking water in December and January.

It’s also been revealed that South East Water attempted to use the courts to stop OFWAT from announcing its proposed fine, arguing that releasing the news would have a serious impact on the the company’s reputation and its credit rating.

A judge threw out South East Water’s interim injunction at a hearing in the High Court on Monday.

According to a report on the website Kent Online, South East Water claimed OFWAT had “predetermined” its findings and argued the regulator’s decision was “legally-flawed” and “riddled with errors”.

Nicholas Gibson, representing the company at the High Court, argued its shareholders “target strong investment grade credit ratings” and that maintaining those “has been – and continues to be – challenging.”

A statement presented to the court by South East Water’s chief financial officer, Andrew Farmer (pictured below), said: “I consider it very likely that publication of OFWAT’s legally flawed proposed decision, and therefore the detailed findings in the 240-page decision, would seriously damage confidence in South East Water among those working in the finance sector with…very serious adverse consequences for South East Water’s business.”

Mr Farmer added the company feared OFWAT’s report being published would lead to a potential “downgrade” to its credit rating and make it “much harder for South East Water to secure the additional financing which it requires.”

In his judgment, Mr Justice Chamberlain said, that given its provisional findings, OFWAT was under a “statutory duty to publish.”

The judge called the company’s attempt to block publication to protect the company’s reputation with investors and “keep the credit ratings agencies in the dark” as “objectionable in principle.”

The judge added blocking publication would create a situation where the company’s credit ratings were based on “materially incomplete information.”

He said this would mean “potential lenders might enter into contracts which they would not otherwise have entered into and existing investors might decide to retain their investments in circumstances where they would otherwise have exited.”

Mr Justice Chamberlain also dismissed the company’s “objectionable” plea that the company “should be allowed to control when and to whom the proposed decision is disclosed.”

A spokesperson for South East Water said: “We recently filed for judicial review of an OFWAT draft decision and sought an injunction. Following a hearing, the court did not grant the interim injunction. We respect the court’s decision on this.”

South East Water concluded: “We are now considering OFWAT’s draft decision and will respond via the appropriate channels, ahead of its final decision. We have no further comment at this time.”

New School Entrance Test at Weald of Kent

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A state Grammar School in Tonbridge says it’s improving access for girls whose parents can’t afford to pay for tutors to coach the Kent County Council 11-plus test.

Weald of Kent Grammar School is to introduce its own entrance test, which will sit alongside the Kent Test as an equally valid route of entry to the school.

Weald of Kent Grammar School opened a so-called “satellite annexe” in Sevenoaks in 2017 to accomodate 450 girls. In the sixth firm, the school admits boys and girls.

The school says the new assessment has been designed to test girls only on content covered in state primary schools up to the end of Year 5. Many local state primary schools apparently don’t teach maths to the level required for the Kent Test by the time students take the exam at the start of Year 6.

Weald of Kent says the change “reflects the school’s commitment to fairness, inclusion and accessibility, and aims to encourage families who may not previously have considered a grammar school to apply if they have a bright, academic daughter who would thrive in an aspirational yet caring environment.”

Headteacher Richard Booth (pictured below) said: “This new assessment is about aptitude, not advantage. We want to ensure that a girl’s potential, curiosity and academic ability are what matter – not whether her family has the means or inclination to pay for tutoring”.

Mr Booth continued: “By offering a bespoke test alongside the Kent Test, we are opening the door wider so that more local girls can see Weald of Kent as a school for them.”

“We are excited about the opportunities this creates,” added Mr Booth. “Our message is simple: if you have a bright, academic girl who loves learning, Weald of Kent could be the right place for her – without pressure, without advantage, and with every opportunity to meet her full potential.”

By removing the expectation of tutoring, Weald of Kent says it hopes to reassure families that preparation can remain focused on learning in primary school, rather than intensive exam coaching. It also aims to reduce the pressure often associated with applying for secondary school.

Robin Jones, Chair of the Trustees of Weald of Kent said: “As a state-funded grammar school, Weald of Kent is proud to be free, inclusive and rooted in its local community. We want every girl who joins us to feel a strong sense of belonging, to feel supported and valued, and to know that high academic standards and inclusivity go hand in hand.”

Weald of Kent Grammar School was recently voted among the top twenty schools nationally for being safe.

The school says the new initiative marks another step in making Weald of Kent increasingly accessible to local girls from Tonbridge, Sevenoaks and surrounding areas – particularly those who may not have previously seen grammar schools as an option for their family.

New Council Approved for Tonbridge Town

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Elections are to be held next year for a brand new Tonbridge Town Council.

A decision to go ahead with the extra tier of local government was taken at a meeting of Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council on Tuesday.

Support for a Tonbridge Town Council was strengthened by the Labour government’s plans to abolish Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council and replace it with a much larger unitary authority, likely to be more distant from Tonbridge residents – probably in Maidstone.

This new unitary authority is set to also mean the winding up of Kent County Council in a plan the government hopes will lead to reduced administrative duplication and more efficient local government.

Southborough and Sevenoaks already have town councils as well as Borough councils and Kent County Council covering the same area. All other areas in Tonbridge and Malling Borough also already have either a town or parish council (town and parish councils have the same powers).

Town Councils generally look after local parks, cemeteries and smaller venues, like village halls.

The new Tonbridge Town Council will begin work in May 2027 following the scheduled elections.

The second consultation on the Town Council proposal was held during November and December 2025 and attracted 897 responses. 62% of people that responded stated they believe the town council should have a mayor.

The first consultation ran from June to July 2025 and received 3,257 responses, representing approximately 12% of the eligible population. 72% of respondents supported the creation of a town council for Tonbridge, while 23% were opposed and 5% were unsure.

There will be 18 elected councillors in six wards across the town.

The wards will have the same boundaries as the existing six borough wards:

  1. Cage Green and Angel – 4 Councillors
  2. Higham – 3 Councillors
  3. Oast – 1 Councillor
  4. Judd – 3 Councillors
  5. Trench – 3 Councillors
  6. Vauxhall – 4 Councillors

There would be an overall increased cost to Tonbridge council tax payers arising from the additional overheads and any extra services the town council chose to deliver. The town council will charge a precept on top of the Borough’s bill.

Charges for businesses would not be affected as they are subject to business rates, which are calculated separately from council tax.

SE Water Boss David Hinton “Set for New Pay Rise” after 47% Increase

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The “Dry Wells Action” Tunbridge Wells community group has condemned Monday’s decision of the board of South East Water to keep its chief executive, David Hinton (pictured below), in post and says it now expects him to be given another pay rise in April.

Jonathan Hawker who’s Chairman of “Dry Wells Action” says he’s identified that David Hinton is being paid an extra £50,000 so-called “cash allowance” to deal with regulators probing the company’s activities. That’s on top of a 30% increase in David Hinton’s basic salary last April from £307,000 to £400,000 a year.

Jonathan Hawker (pictured below centre) says that effectively gave Mr Hinton a 47% increase in annual pay for the current year at a time when the company increased consumer bills by 20%. 

In a statement, South East Water told Southborough News: “South East Water remains committed to a remuneration framework that supports a performance culture, and recognises success but does not reward poor performance.”   

The SE Water statement continued: “The remuneration committee, led by independent non-executive directors, approved a 30.2 per cent increase in the base salary of the CEO. This is detailed on page 165 of our annual report, and page 166 details the cash allowance provided to each director in relation to the CMA process. We can confirm that no bonus payment was made for operational performance for the year 2024/25.”

Jonathan Hawker of “Dry Wells Action” said: “David Hinton should not be rewarded for his repeated failing. Dealing with regulators is obviously part of the day job of the chief executive of any regulated company, so why is the Board giving Hinton more just to do something he would be doing anyway?”

Six MPs have now demanded the removal of David Hinton.

Helen Whately MP for Faversham and Mid Kent (pictured above), said she was furious that the company’s Monday board meeting resulted in a decision to stand by Mr Hinton.

She said: “It’s a kick in the teeth [for] all those people who had days without water, not least all those vulnerable householders who were left without emergency supplies, along with livestock, businesses and schools.

Helen Whately concluded: “I have no confidence in the current leadership to turn South East Water around. The Chief Executive will keep on enjoying his six figure salary into the foreseeable future. It’s a disgrace.”

South East Water is due to hold its annual general meeting later this month after announcing a further 7% increase in water bills for the coming year.

A dispute between South East Water and OFWAT over the company’s 5-year business plan to 2030 is being considered by the competition regulator, the Competition and Markets Authority. The CMA is due to announce its findings in March.

Jonathan Hawker of “Dry Wells Action” said the £50,000 “cash allowance” for Mr Hinton was “buried in the company’s annual report” and was “wholly inappropriate”. It is not categorised by SE Water as either pay or bonus.

South East Water said the extra £50k was put in place to recognise the additional hours which Mr Hinton would need to devote to dealing with the water regulator, OFWAT. 

Jonathan Hawker said: “What we really need is for Chris Train, South East Water’s chairman, to get a grip, stop rewarding failure, and replace Hinton immediately with someone who can do the job and announce urgently a plan to sort out the problems faced here in Tunbridge Wells and beyond.” 

Jonathan Hawker continued: “South East Water has made no announcement of any plans to address the issues here and has avoided public debate.”

According to “Dry Wells Action”, under David Hinton’s five years of leadership, SE Water has gone from an annual profit of £37.7m to a loss of £19.8m last year. Its borrowings now exceed £1.3bn. The company has paid £249m in dividends to shareholders over the past decade.

Water Crisis: Public Meeting on Wednesday

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A group of Tunbridge Wells residents has demanded that officials from South East Water and regulators meet the public at an event being held on Wednesday evening.

The group set up following prolonged failures of the local water supply is called “Dry Wells Action.”

Dry Wells Action’s founder, Jonathan Hawker (pictured below), wants measures to ensure the community is never again left unable to flush toilets or wash for days at a time.

Jonathan Hawker, said: “After all that it has been through, this community deserves to hear from the company itself and from those whose duty it is to hold South East Water to account. Not attending and speaking to people who’ve been so badly let down would in itself send a message of abject contempt for a community these organisations are meant to serve.”

Invitations were sent last week to the Water Minister, Emma Hardy MP; the three regulators – Ofwat, the Drinking Water Inspectorate, and the Consumer Council for Water, as well as elected bodies and members.

Dry Wells Action said on Monday that so far there are no indications that SE Water or regulators will attend. Mike Martin MP is also understood to be busy at Westminster.

But the meeting will go ahead to allow residents, councillors and outside experts to discuss why the community has experienced repeated, lengthy water outages and why regulators and government have not taken enforcement action against the company.

Dry Wells Action’s website states its demands are:

  • A fully independent engineering review of the entire water supply system serving Tunbridge Wells by an outside engineering consultancy, with an honest assessment of what is failing, what needs rebuilding and what it will cost.
  •  A funded plan with timelines with a clear list of upgrades, milestones, deadlines and published progress.  
  • Investment in a future-proof water infrastructure, not temporary firefighting. 
  • A change in leadership at South East Water and effective regulation.

Dry Wells Action is grateful to the owners of the Old Auction House in Tunbridge Wells which has made the venue available to the group for free to host the event. Access is free but limited. The meeting starts promptly at 7.30pm on Wednesday 21st January. Tickets are available via http://www.drywellsaction.com

West Kent Radio Builds Audience

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West Kent’s local FM community radio station has now been broadcasting for three years and is constantly refreshing its sound to draw in new listeners.

The West Kent Radio studios are now in London Road in Southborough (See below).

WKR Studio

The station’s programming aims to reflect a wide range of people, events and issues in the Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells area, mixing the speech content with music mainly from the 1970s to today.

West Kent Radio is a community station which has been given three FM frequencies by the media regulator OFCOM.  It relies mainly on grant funding, sponsorship, some adverts and volunteer effort to generate programming.

Presenter Alex Tuckwell says she brings the enthusiasm from her lifelong passion for radio to her new show at breakfast time on Saturdays.

Alex Tuckwell (pictured below) said: “I always loved radio as a kid.  It was the first place that you heard new songs. I have quite a few brothers and sisters, so there was always different music coming from different bedrooms in my house. It’s given me a love in particular of nineties music.”

Alex Tuckwell

Alex says she was often listening to Zoe Ball, Sara Cox and Chris Moyles on Radio 1, but has always been a fan of local stations too.

She says: “With local radio you know what is going on locally, what events are happening. You are building a relationship with the radio presenters. You feel like you know them.”

Alex & Computer

Alex always wanted to work in radio and studied for a degree in Broadcast Media.  Alex says: “As a kid, when we first got a computer in the house, I would pretend I was doing my own radio station and record it on the computer. Radio has been a part of my life and a passion of mine for a very long time.”

Alex is on air every Saturday from 8am to 10am on FM 95.5 (from Tonbridge High Street), 106.7 (from central Tunbridge Wells) and 107.2 (from Bidborough Village Hall). The station is also available online and on its own app.

http://www.westkentradio.co.uk

Later on Saturday, former BBC Radio Solent presenter Simon Jupp has begun a new “Decades” programme, mixing music from the 1960s to the 1990s with local newspaper headlines from the time. That runs from Noon until the sports programme starts at 2pm.

On Friday drivetime (4-7pm), the author of the Southborough News blog, former BBC World Service presenter Martin Webber, (pictured below) is on air previewing all the varied weekend events going on in the area.

The aim is to get people “out and about” with event organisers sending him voice memos so they can explain for themselves what’s on offer.

Martin Webber

West Kent Radio now broadcasts its daily Local News Feature at 7.30 and 8.30am, which is repeated at 12.30, 2.30, 4.30 and 6.30pm.

Other recent changes on the station include:

  • Saturday Action – the sports show (2-6pm) now includes reports from local soccer and rugby matches
  • West Kent Unsigned (Tuesdays 8-10pm) – is now presented by Phil Mills, who plays new tracks from local musicians
  • Golden Greats (Sundays 2-4pm) – sees Vince Cox reviving some of the great music from the 1960s to the 1990s.

West Kent Radio is grateful for the renewed sponsorship of the Southborough Lions for the “Pure” shows from 7-8pm every weekday.  Monday is Pure 60s, Tuesday Pure 70s, Wednesday is Pure 80s, Thursday is Pure 90s and Friday is Pure 00s.

Liberal Democrats Win Tunbridge Wells as Conservatives Hold Tonbridge

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The new MP for Tunbridge Wells is the Liberal Democrat, Mike Martin, who told journalists that an “earthquake” has hit politics after he comfortably defeated the Conservatives by around 10,000 votes. 

The constituency of Tunbridge Wells has been Conservative since it was created in 1974, having been combined with Tonbridge before that.

Tunbridge Wells becomes the Liberal Democrat’s first ever seat in Kent.

Mike Martin crop

Mr Martin (above) said: “We are standing in the aftermath of a political earthquake. Tunbridge Wells has had a Conservative member of parliament for 114 years – but no more.

“This earthquake, epicentre Tunbridge Wells, reverberates across the country.”

Neil Mahapatra came second for the Conservatives.  He had only been selected to run in the seat a month before the election, due to the sudden decision of Greg Clark to step down.

This is the full result from Tunbridge Wells for July 2024 (compared with 2019 result)

   

Votes

Share

Change share

Mike Martin

LibDem

23,661

43.6

15.3

Neil Mahapatra

Con

14,974

27.6

-27.5

John Gager

Reform

6,484

12.0

11.9

Hugo Giles Pound

Labour

6,178

11.4

-3.4

John Hurst

Green

2,344

4.3

4.3

Hassan Kassem

Indep

609

1.1

0.3

This is how the vote in Tunbridge Wells was announced.

Meanwhile, In Tonbridge, the Conservative Tom Tugendhat saw his vote share drop from 65% to 41%, but he still retained a majority of more than 10,000.

Tom Tugendhat told journalists at the count: “I’m very pleased to be able to work with the people of Tonbridge for the coming parliamentary term, and I am really privileged to be doing that. So I am very very grateful for the trust placed in me”.

Tom Tugendhat refused to comment on a possible bid for the leadership of the Conservative Party but continued: “This has been a very very difficult night for the Conservative Party. This has clearly been one of those moments where we really do need to stop and rethink where we are going”. 

Tom Tugendhat concluded: “This is a moment where we have failed to deliver. And sadly, we have quite obviously we’ve lost the trust and confidence of the British public and that is a really big wake up moment.”

There is more reaction from the Lib Dems and Greens in Tonbridge on the West Kent Radio page:

https://www.westkentradio.co.uk/news/election-24/liberal-democrats-take-tunbridge-wells/

This is the full result from Tonbridge in July 2024 (compared with 2019):

   

Votes

Share

Change share

Tom Tugendhat

Con

20,517

40.8

-24.0

Lewis Bailey

Labour

9,351

18.6

3.5

Anna Cope

Green

7,596

15.1

7.2

Teresa Hansford

Reform

7,548

15.0

15.0

John Woollcombe

LibDem

4,234

8.4

-3.9

Tim Shaw

IndAK

926

1.8

1.8

Ian Grattidge

SDP

156

0.3

0.3

Here are the full remarks of the new Lib Dem MP for Tunbridge Wells, Mike Martin, following the count:

“ We are standing in the aftermath of a political earthquake. Tunbridge Wells has had a Conservative Member of Parliament for 114 years, but no more.
And this earthquake – epicentre Tunbridge Wells – reverberates across the country. We look at the results: the Conservative Party have returned their worst result possibly ever. And the Liberal Party have returned their best result in over 100 years.
The people of Tunbridge Wells can help us understand what has happened. For the last two years I have been talking to you on your doorstep and you’ve told me that you want honest, moderate, pragmatic government.You’ve told me you want politicians who solve problems and who serve their country rather than themselves.
There’s a lot for me to live up to in that long list of desires but I pledge to you now that I will do what is right for the country and what is right for you, the people of Tunbridge Wells.
I want to finish by saying we have a difficult decade in front of us. And we have had difficult decades before and we have come out better for them, and we will do so again.”

Greg Clark Departs as Tunbridge Wells MP

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Local Conservative Party members will choose a new candidate for Tunbridge Wells after Greg Clark announced last week that he would be stepping down after 19 years as the town’s MP.

On Tuesday evening the LBC presenter Iain Dale said he was leaving his show to attempt to be selected to run for the Conservatives. He ran once before for the Tory party in Norfolk and lost.

Then on Friday (31st) morning Iain Dale announced on LBC that he had given up his bid to become one of the 3 candidates to go before local members. 

That followed the discovery of comments about Tunbridge Wells that Iain Dale made in one of his own podcasts two years ago that he “never liked the place” and “would happily live somewhere else”. He has lived in the area since 1997.

Speaking live to LBC on Friday morning, Iain Dale explained his past dissatisfaction with life in Tunbridge Wells by saying the main road from Pembury (where he lives) to the town had suffered constant traffic delays due to roadworks. A friend had also been mugged in the town.

Greg Clark’s decision not to compete in the July 4th General Election came as a surprise.

Greg Clark

In his departure letter, Greg Clark said that he thought the time was now right to “hand the baton” to someone else, but gave no specific reason for his decision.

His letter continued: “To stand at the election involves a five-year commitment.” That statement was also true, though, in December 2022, when Greg Clark told me in a radio interview that he “absolutely” wanted to stay on and stand for election once again.

The local Conservative Party is now desperately trying to find a suitable alternative candidate before the nomination cut off date of Friday 7th June.

Conservative Central Office will send a list of 3 approved candidates to the local Conservative Association and a secret ballot of all local members at a special meeting will choose who will stand.

The Liberal Democrats were given a boost by the recent local council elections, which saw the party take overall control of Tunbridge Wells Borough.

The Liberal Democrat candidate to be the next Tunbridge Wells MP, Mike Martin (pictured below), said the decision of Greg Clark to step down reflects what we are seeing across the country.Mike Martin crop

Mike Martin continued: “The people who are most surprised by the election being called seem to be the Tory MPs and it is notable I think that Michael Gove, John Redwood – and now Greg Clark – are standing down in seats where the Liberal Democrats are the challengers to the Conservatives.”

Meanwhile, Labour’s parliamentary candidate Hugo Pound (pictured below) said he understood Greg Clark’s decision, stating: “He clearly is a much more moderate One Nation Tory than many of the others who have been in government – and who would be in government – if they were to win the next election.”

Hugo

Hugo Pound said he hoped the Conservatives would now not bring in a candidate from outside the area, continuing: “What I would much rather see is another local candidate, like myself, who has lived here – in my case for 30 years..brought my children up here.  I think that is a better representation for Tunbridge Wells and what is needed now.”

There is more reaction on my Youtube channel:

The decision of the LBC presenter Iain Dale to throw his hat in the ring comes nine years after he lost as a Conservative General election candidate in the North Norfolk consituency.

Talking live on air on Tuesday 28th May, Iain Dale (pictured below) told his listeners: “You know how much politics means to me. And if you’ve listened for any length of time, you know I’ve always had two ambitions in life. One was to be a radio presenter and the other was to be an MP.

Iain Dale

“Last time I tried, the electorate fought back, in quite a major way it has to be said. But now I am putting my hat in the ring again to be a candidate at the General Election.

“Whatever the result, I feel I can play a role in restoring trust and honesty in politics. There are no guarantees I will be selected, let alone elected, but I know that I would forever kick myself if I didn’t at least have a go.

“Even if you don’t share my politics, I hope at least that’s something you can respect.

“Now, under broadcast rules I could technically carry on presenting this show until Friday but I’m going to step aside now. It just feels the right thing to do.

“I want to thank everyone at LBC and Global for their support, friendship and love and for their understanding…

“Most of all, whoever you are, wherever you are in the world, however often you listen, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for your loyalty, your calls, your messages and friendship over the last 15 years. This is the best job I have ever had.

“This won’t, I hope, be the last you hear of me on LBC, but for now that’s it. Thank you and goodbye.”

Iain joined LBC in 2010 and has presented four LBC General Election Night Shows, two American Presidential Election shows, the station’s Scottish and Brexit referendum night shows, as well as the station’s evening show.

Broadcast rules mean candidates in the General Election aren’t allowed to present radio shows.

Labour’s Hugo Pound Bids to be Tunbridge Wells MP

On By southboroughnews1 Comment

The Labour Party has launched its General Election campaign in Tunbridge Wells, arguing that its plans to step up house building should include some development of Green Belt land.

Labour’s Parliamentary candidate, Hugo Pound (pictured below) said: “We stopped the sprawl of joining Tunbridge Wells to Pembury in a recent application…so we protected the Green Belt between those conurbations…but there are going to be opportunities to build within the Green Belt that are wholly appropriate and most people will not be fussed by – I believe.”

Hugo

Hugo Pound has been in charge of housing in the Borough council coalition for the past two years. He has lived in Tunbridge Wells for the past 32 years, works as a chartered psychologist and is a former governor of The Judd School and Skinners Kent Academy.

Labour’s plan to impose 20% VAT on fees paid by parents to private schools is aimed at raising new funds for state schools, but the policy may well be unpopular with some Tunbridge Wells voters.

In his recorded interview, Hugo Pound, said that “penalising parents and grandparents for VAT – for me – doesn’t sit comfortably” and he suggested he thought private schools which offered facilities like swimming pools to the community should retain their charitable status and so not pay VAT.

However, since the interview was first released Hugo Pound has said on social media: “My idea of requiring private schools to make their facilities accessible in order to retain their charitable status is a non-starter, apparently; turning on and off charitable status is legally near-impossible which is why it’s not part of the plan!”

He continued: “So I retreat from that position and fall back to the proposal that the only way forward to ensure a better distribution of resource and funding is to charge VAT on private school fees – my worry being that many schools’ facilities will still be inaccessible to all.”

The launch event last Wednesday was held at the Old Auction House and attended by a mix of invited guests – many of whom were not traditional Labour Party supporters.

You can see Hugo Pound’s full interview with local journalist Martin Webber on YouTube:

Hugo Pound said: “Tunbridge Wells deserves a Labour MP. Greg Clark has been here since 2005 and …has done some good things locally, but he does not represent the values of most people who now live in Tunbridge Wells”.

Asked about the challenge to Greg Clark from the Liberal Democrat candidate, Mike Martin, Hugo Pound pointed to some polling estimates from Electoral Calculus that suggested that Labour might currently be in second place to the Conservatives in Tunbridge Wells, although Hugo accepted that this prediction might not have involved actual polling locally.

https://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/fcgi-bin/calcwork23.py?seat=Tunbridge%20Wells

Hugo 3

At the launch event, Hugo Pound, was introduced by his cousin, Stephen Pound (pictured right above), who was Labour MP for Ealing North for 22 years.  Also speaking was Georgina Stewart (above) who said she had voted Conservative all her life, but was now switching to Labour.

Hugo Pound said: “The national mood is that people want a Labour government… and for Tunbridge Wells to have anyone other than a Labour MP would be a huge disappointment, because if you are the MP of the party in Power you..have levers that you can pull, you are definitely involved in the decision making process.  If you are a Conservative or Lib Dem – this time round -you are not going to be.”