At the Annual Meeting of Tunbridge Wells Borough Council on Wednesday 25 May 2022 Councillor Ben Chapelard was elected as Leader. I have been encouraged and flattered by some of the messages of support I have received since being appointed Leader of the Conservative Group last week. Nick Pope (pictured below) emphasised the recent slide in Conservative support, pointing out that just 3 years ago, the Conservatives had a massive majority, holding 43 out of 48 seats on the Borough Council. This caused the Conservatives to lose their majority, creating a minority administration. Required fields are marked *. He says he feels all opposition parties are united in wanting what is best for the area. Martin: Voters in Tunbridge Wells [], Read More from West Kent Radio Interview with Tunbridge Wells Green Party, Trevor Bisdee writes Im really pleased that for the first time the Green Party is standing a candidate in every one of the sixteen Wards across the Borough, giving people [], Read More from Making Paddock Wood Fairer and Greener, Tunbridge Wells Green Party is proud to announce our candidates for the Tunbridge Wells Borough Council elections on May 4th. Describing the poor performance of his party in the elections as a real disappointment, he announced his resignation as council leader. "We have major matters to address the local plan; the climate emergency and our net zero target for carbon emissions by 2030; our property assets and completion of the Amelia Scott. We will be taking cabinet on a tour to meet residents so we can be accountable to them. One third of Tunbridge Wells Borough Council in Kent, England, is elected each year, followed by one year without election. TUNBRIDGE WELLS BOROUGH COUNCIL CABINET MINUTES of the meeting held at the Council Chamber, Town Hall, Royal Tunbridge Wells, TN1 1RS, at 6.30 pm on Thursday, 20 April 2023 . It comes after the Conservatives failed to secure the 10 seats they needed to retain overall control at the Tunbridge Wells Borough Council elections earlier this month. The district was formed on 1 April 1974, by the merger of the municipal borough of Royal Tunbridge Wells along with Southborough urban district, Cranbrook Rural District and most of Tonbridge Rural District. <> The 2023 Tunbridge Wells Borough Council election will take place on 4 May 2023 to elect members of Tunbridge Wells Borough Council in Kent, England. As is customary, the mayor chooses a charity to support during their term of office and Cllr Woodward will be supporting Mental Health Resource, a mental health charity. 3 0 obj Show only. Among the issues fought over were plans for traffic calming and widening the A21. He said: Ive been on the council for nearly 12 years and the advice I was given was as a leader of the opposition you think you know your way around the council, but when you become leader there will be things you werent aware of that sometimes crop up. They stated that the Alliance and the Labour Party had both contacted the Liberal Democrats to start talks, but that they had been told negotiations could only begin on 15 May 2022, which the TWA stated was only two days before many decisions need[ed] to be made and submitted. By Geoff Mason | 13 April 2023. Cllr Chapelard is the ward member for St James' and Liberal Democrats Council Group Leader. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. [5] Eight wards are within Royal Tunbridge Wells itself: Broadwater, Culverden; Pantiles & St Marks; Park; Rusthall; Sherwood & St John's and St. James. On the state of shops in Tunbridge Wells, Cllr Dawlings noted that the Pantiles area was currently buzzing and he expressed optimism that the empty BHS store would soon attract a new retailer. This website and its associated newspaper are members of the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), the Conservatives failed to secure the 10 seats they needed to retain overall control at the Tunbridge Wells Borough Council elections. Alasdair wants to help the borough council make more sustainable decisions especially about local transport [], Penny is a local gardener, small business owner and mum to a primary aged daughter. "Despite the initial rebuff, I hope the opposition group leaders will now be prepared to discuss establishing good working relationship because that is what our residents and businesses both need and deserve.". The new administration has five key priorities, their Focus on Five: To deliver on the administrations Focus on Five the following members will serve in the Councils Cabinet: Cllr Wendy Fitzsimmons (LD), Leisure, wellbeing and culture Cllr Andy Hickey (LD), Finance and performance Cllr Justine Rutland (LD), Tunbridge Wells town and local areas Cllr David Hayward (TWA), Governance and transparency Cllr Nancy Warne (TWA), Rural communities and deputy leader Cllr Hugo Pound (Lab), Housing and planning Cllr Luke Everitt (Lab), Environment, sustainability and carbon reduction Champions. As is customary the Mayor chooses a charity to support during their term of office and Councillor Woodward will be supporting Mental Health Resource, a local mental health charity. Following the local elections on 5 May the Liberal Democrats held 16 of the 48 seats making them the largest Group in the Council. The leader of Tunbridge Wells Borough Council has resigned.. A statement from the council says Alan McDermott (Con), councillor for Brenchley and Horsmonden, stepped down on Sunday and a new . There were no local elections held in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Is it a Hill or a Slope on the Northern Ridgewaye Fields? Tunbridge Wells Social offers something for everyone - entertainment and activities for all ages, tips and workshops for healthy living and . Were standing in all 16 wards so anyone who wants []. Heres what he had to say. He said the cabinet system of running councils meant that after the full council appointed him for a four year term as leader last May, he then appointed the cabinet, which is responsible for most day-to-day decisions in the council. Delivery of the Amelia Community Centre opening in April. #GrubbyGreg . The new deputy mayor is Godfrey Bland (Con), ward member for Hawkhurst and Sandhurst. Cllr Woodward, who has represented Broadwater since 2006, has also replaced previous mayor Joy Podbury. 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Tunbridge Wells Borough Council can send you a weekly email packed full of interesting news and features. At the same meeting Councillor Chris Woodward (Cons) was elected as Mayor of Tunbridge Wells. 1 0 obj Cllr Dawlings pointed out that his partys share of the vote was an improvement on the May election result when the Conservatives had held the seat. Brilliant! Nick Pope said: It is up to Tom Dawlings, the Leader of the council, to decide what he should do. However, the Liberal Democrats lost their majority before the next election due to defections, which emboldened the optimistic Conservatives during the local election campaign of 1998. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. [1] This will be on the same day as other local elections . A string of villages lies across this plain, from Brenchley and Horsmonden to Benenden and Headcorn. In November of the same year, a by-election was held for one seat in Speldhurst and Bidborough ward, in which the Tories lost to TWA candidate and local businessman Matthew Sankey. It was the first election in which the Conservatives did not win a majority in the borough. Something went wrong, please try again later. During his speech to his new council he revealed a full audit on the councils finances has been launched and that the council would bid for levelling up funding later this year. The council stands at Conservatives 24, Liberal Democrats 13, Tunbridge Wells Alliance 5, Labour 5, Independent 1. David Hayward has already been in touch with the company which last month announced, subject to planning permission, it was poised to buy the 1.5 acre site which has stood unused since 2000. 28 Apr 2023 14:36:17 [1] Political control The Conservative leader of Tunbridge Wells Borough Council has been unseated by a UKIP candidate. "Nominations for the new leader will be proposed at the council meeting on Wednesday. See here @BenChapelard's (Leader of Tunbridge Wells Borough Council) response. The SER line to Hastings passes through Tunbridge Wells; here there was once a further branch connection south-eastwards to Groombridge, and at Paddock Wood is the southern terminus of the Medway Valley Line to Maidstone. Tom Dawlings (Con), a ward member for Benenden and Cranbrook, has . endobj All 24 opposition councillors voted against Cllr Dawlings Conservative succession as leader but the vote was carried after new mayor, Cllr Woodward, used his casting vote to carry the motion forward. In a major upset for the Liberal Democrats, the Conservative Party won every single seat that the Lib Dems were defending in the election, providing the party with a majority in the borough, which was seen as traditionally pro-Tory, once more. On 13 May 2022, the TWA released a statement claiming that negotiations with the Liberal Democrats on forming a new administration had not begun, rejecting claims by Chapelard in the Kent and Sussex Courier that discussions were ongoing. This state lasted for two years until 1996, when the Liberal Democrats gained a majority in the borough for the first time in its history. "Then, on Friday, I got an email, saying they didn't want to meet.". At Wednesday's (May 25) Full Council meeting, the first since the May 5 elections that saw the Lib Dem group overtake the Tories as the largest party at TWBC, Cllr Ben Chapelard . Tom Dawlings (Con), a ward member for Benenden and Cranbrook, has replaced Alan McDermott who has stepped down. The partnership is made up of Liberal Democrats, Tunbridge Wells Alliance (TWA) and Labour councillors, and the independent councillor for Paddock Wood (East). "It's not going to be Alliance-led, Labour-led or Lib Dem-led. Our Education Directory has everything you could possibly need! Beyond the walls of the council chamber he said he was attempting to cut down his hours as a languages teacher at Gravesend grammar school to focus on being leader. The presence of sandstone outcrops and the chalybeate springs, together with old workings, point to ancient iron manufacturing in the area. Last week I approached each Leader of the Opposition Groups. Cllr Dawlings also says he wants to look at improving the refuse services in the area. When I first started there were four Lib Dems and 44 Conservatives so weve had to invest a huge amount of emotion and energy into winning the trust of residents. Carla met Geoff Mason our candidate in Goudhurst and [], Read More from Co-Leader Carla Denyer Visits Goudhurst, With less than 3 months to go to the May local elections, this year youll need to show photo ID before you can vote.