Borough of Tunbridge Wells | |
|---|---|
 Tunbridge Wells skyline | |
 Tunbridge Wells shown within Kent | |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Constituent country | England |
| Region | South East England |
| Non-metropolitan county | Kent |
| Status | Non-metropolitan district |
| Admin HQ | Royal Tunbridge Wells |
| Incorporated | 1 April 1974 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Non-metropolitan district council |
| • Body | Tunbridge Wells Borough Council |
| • MPs | Mike Martin Helen Grant |
| Area | |
• Total | 127.9 sq mi (331.3 km2) |
| • Rank | 112th(of 296) |
| Population (2024) | |
• Total | 119,694 |
| • Rank | 209th(of 296) |
| • Density | 935.7/sq mi (361.3/km2) |
| Ethnicity(2021) | |
| • Ethnic groups | |
| Religion(2021) | |
| • Religion | List
|
| Time zone | UTC0 (GMT) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (BST) |
| ONS code | 29UQ |
| GSS code | E07000116 |
| OS grid reference | TQ5817739112 |
TheBorough of Tunbridge Wells is alocal government district withborough status inKent, England. It takes its name from its main town,Royal Tunbridge Wells. The borough also contains the towns ofPaddock Wood andSouthborough, along with numerous villages and surrounding rural areas. Large parts of the borough fall within theHigh Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
The neighbouring districts areSevenoaks,Tonbridge and Malling,Maidstone,Ashford,Rother andWealden.
The town of Tunbridge Wells had been governed byimprovement commissioners from 1835.[2] The commissioners' district was reconstituted as alocal government district in 1860, which in turn became amunicipal borough in 1889.[3][4] That first borough of Tunbridge Wells was renamed "Royal Tunbridge Wells" in 1909 following a petition from the borough council toEdward VII.[5]
The modern district was created on 1 April 1974 under theLocal Government Act 1972, covering the whole area of three former districts and parts of a fourth, which were all abolished at the same time:[6]
The new district was named Tunbridge Wells after the area's largest town, but without the Royal prefix.[7] The district was not initially granted borough status.[8] The council resolved to petition for it in June 1974 and a borough charter was received on 20 December 1974, allowing the chair of the council to take the title mayor.[9][10]
Tunbridge Wells Borough Council | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| History | |
| Founded | 1 April 1974 |
| Leadership | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 39 councillors |
 | |
Political groups |
|
| Elections | |
| First past the post | |
Last election | 2 May 2024 |
Next election | 7 May 2026 |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| Town Hall, Mount Pleasant Road, Royal Tunbridge Wells, TN1 1RS | |
| Website | |
| www | |
Tunbridge Wells Borough Council providesdistrict-level services.County-level services are provided byKent County Council. Much of the borough is also covered bycivil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.[15]
The council has been underLiberal Democrat majority control since the2024 election.[16]
The first election to the council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities before coming into its powers on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows:[17][18]
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| Conservative | 1974–1994 | |
| No overall control | 1994–1996 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 1996–1998 | |
| Conservative | 1998–2021 | |
| No overall control | 2021–2024 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 2024–present | |
The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Tunbridge Wells. Political leadership is instead provided by theleader of the council. The leaders since 1998 have been:
| Councillor | Party | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Scholes[19] | Conservative | 1998 | May 2002 | |
| Len Horwood[19][20] | Conservative | May 2002 | Jun 2004 | |
| Melvyn Howell[21][22] | Conservative | 30 Jun 2004 | May 2007 | |
| Roy Bullock[23][24] | Conservative | 23 May 2007 | Jan 2011 | |
| Bob Atwood[25][26] | Conservative | 19 Jan 2011 | May 2012 | |
| David Jukes[27][28] | Conservative | 23 May 2012 | May 2019 | |
| Alan McDermott[29][30] | Conservative | 22 May 2019 | 23 May 2021 | |
| Tom Dawlings[31][32] | Conservative | 26 May 2021 | May 2022 | |
| Ben Chapelard[33] | Liberal Democrats | 25 May 2022 | ||
Following the2024 election, the composition of the council was:[16]
| Party | Councillors | |
|---|---|---|
| Liberal Democrats | 22 | |
| Conservative | 7 | |
| Labour | 5 | |
| Tunbridge Wells Alliance | 4 | |
| Independent | 1 | |
| Total | 39 | |
The next elections are due in 2026.[34]
Since the last boundary changes in 2024 the council has comprised 39councillors representing 14wards, with each ward electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held three years out of every four, with a third of the council being elected each time for a four year term of office.Kent County Council elections are held in the fourth year of the cycle when there are no borough council elections.[35]
In the2016 European Union referendum, Tunbridge Wells was the only district in Kent that voted to remain in the EU (54.89%).
The council is based atTunbridge Wells Town Hall on Mount Pleasant Road, which had been completed in 1941 for the old Royal Tunbridge Wells Borough Council.[36]
The borough of Tunbridge Wells lies along the south western border of Kent, partly on the northern edge of theWeald, the remainder on the WealdClayplain in the upper reaches of the riversTeise andBeult.
Much of the borough lies within the High Weald, a designatedArea of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The presence of sandstone outcrops and thechalybeate springs, together with old workings, point to ancientiron manufacturing in the area.
The Weald Clay plain along the northern edge of the borough forms part of the so-calledGarden of England, named for its extensive orchards and formerhop farms, sheep and cattle. A string of villages lies across this plain, from Brenchley and Horsmonden to Benenden and Headcorn.
The main roads through the borough are the A21 London to Hastings road and in the east, the A229, which runs from the A21 at Hurst Green throughCranbrook toMaidstone.
There is a railway line across the clay plain in an almost unbroken straight line betweenRedhill,Tonbridge andAshford, Kent. The SER line toHastings passes through Tunbridge Wells; here there was once a further branch connection south-eastwards toGroombridge, and at Paddock Wood is the southern terminus of theMedway Valley Line toMaidstone.
TheBBC has its regional centre at the Great Hall on Mount Pleasant Road inRoyal Tunbridge Wells. It is the base ofBBC Radio Kent and forBBC South East regional programmes, the complex contains studios and offices.ITV Meridian also covers the area but broadcast from its studios inWhiteley inHampshire. Other radio stations that broadcast to the area areHeart South,Gold, and community based radio stations:KMFM West Kent and West Kent Radio.[37] The area is served by the local newspaper,Kent and Sussex Courier.[38]
Apart from Tunbridge Wells itself, places of interest in the Borough include:
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