51°16′59″N0°21′00″E / 51.283°N 0.350°E /51.283; 0.350
Tonbridge and Malling | |
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 Tonbridge and Malling shown within Kent | |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Constituent country | England |
| Region | South East England |
| Non-metropolitan county | Kent |
| Status | Non-metropolitan district |
| Admin HQ | West Malling |
| Incorporated | 1 April 1974 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Non-metropolitan district council |
| • Body | Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council |
| • MPs | Tris Osborne Tom Tugendhat |
| Area | |
• Total | 92.71 sq mi (240.13 km2) |
| • Rank | 136th(of 296) |
| Population (2024) | |
• Total | 136,853 |
| • Rank | 180th(of 296) |
| • Density | 1,476.1/sq mi (569.91/km2) |
| Ethnicity(2021) | |
| • Ethnic groups | |
| Religion(2021) | |
| • Religion | List
|
| Time zone | UTC0 (GMT) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (BST) |
| ONS code | 29UP (ONS) E07000115 (GSS) |
| OS grid reference | TQ6386756441 |
Tonbridge and Malling is alocal government district withborough status inKent, England. The council is based atKings Hill. The borough also includes the towns ofTonbridge andSnodland along with numerous villages includingAylesford,West Malling and surrounding rural areas.
The neighbouring districts areMaidstone,Tunbridge Wells,Sevenoaks,Gravesham andMedway.
Tonbridge and Malling Borough covers an area from the North Downs atBurham andSnodland in the north to the town ofTonbridge in the south. TheRiver Medwaymeanders north-east through the borough towards theMedway Gap, having in the west of the area received theRiver Eden. TheEden Valley Walk is also mostly in this borough.
The area has been occupied for thousands of years. TheNeolithic people left behind much evidence: megaliths such asKit's Coty House atAylesford and theColdrum Stones atTrottiscliffe; and theLong barrows atAddington being examples.Bronze andIron Age finds are also plentiful. There is evidence of theRomano-British civilisation along the Medway Valley.
The immediate district of Tonbridge is omitted from theDomesday Book; however most other settlements in the Borough are included. Castles were built at Tonbridge,Allington andWest Malling in the 13th century. Religious houses: Malling,Aylesford and Tonbridge were built: one such wasSt Mary's Abbey dating from 1092.Aylesford Priory on the banks of the Medway, was built in the 13th century.
There are surviving medieval manor houses includingIghtham Mote andOld Soar Manor.
Tonbridge district can be divided in two distinct areas, which were divided at the beginning of the nineteenth century by the woods and heaths of the ragstone (1) ridge from Great Comp toEast Malling. Northwards lies the well peopledVale of Holmesdale with the market town ofWest Malling as the principal centre of population, an area crossed lengthways by the railway and motorway (M20); southwards of the ridge is the heavy clay of theWeald and valley of the Medway[2]
Kentish ragstone geologically speaking is the UpperGreensand Ridge, used in church building in Kent.
The land included is mainly agricultural – orchards, and livestock in the main – although major business parks and buildings within 30 miles (50 km) coupled with the railways and the motorway means a majority of working residents commute to work in the more built-up villages and Tonbridge. The new settlement ofKings Hill can be regarded as tied in with the economy ofMaidstone equally with that of parts of Kent further to the western extremity.
A remnant of the once flourishing hop-growing industry is provided by a tourist attraction atBeltring: once theWhitbread Hop Farm, it puts on weekend exhibitions and shows. Tonbridge and Malling has 27listed buildings in the highest category of the national system, Grade I. This includes eight churches, five reduced structures left over from St Mary's Abbey orMalling Abbey,West Malling and fourmanor houses, mostly built by lower social ranks than the titled nobility.
A diverse materials and appearance construction isIghtham Mote which is recognised in the highest category of the UK's architecture listing system, Grade I, though no longer in private hands.East Malling Research Station disseminates results of research into matters affecting horticultural crops, with particular emphasis on the fruit, hop and nursery stock industries.
Many of the villages are beside long-distance walks with tourist accommodation, enabling tours of the orchards andbluebell woods.
The district was created on 1 April 1974 under theLocal Government Act 1972. It covered the whole area of two former districts and part of a third, all of which were abolished at the same time:[3]
The new district was named Tonbridge and Malling, combining the names of the former districts.[4]
The district receivedborough status on 16 December 1983, changing the name of the council from Tonbridge and Malling District Council to Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council and allowing the chair of the council to take the title ofmayor.[5]
Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council | |
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 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| Leadership | |
Damian Roberts since 2024[7] | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 44 councillors |
 | |
Political groups |
Other parties (21)
|
| Elections | |
Last election | 4 May 2023 |
Next election | 6 May 2027 |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| Gibson Building, Gibson Drive, Kings Hill, West Malling, ME19 4LZ | |
| Website | |
| www | |
Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council providesdistrict-level services.County-level services are provided byKent County Council.[8] Much of the borough is also covered bycivil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.[9]
Since the2023 election the council has been underno overall control, being led by a coalition of the Conservatives and the Independent Alliance.[10]
The first election to the council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new arrangements came into effect on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows:[11][12]
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| Conservative | 1974–1995 | |
| No overall control | 1995–2003 | |
| Conservative | 2003–2023 | |
| No overall control | 2023–present | |
The role ofmayor is largely ceremonial in Tonbridge and Malling. Political leadership is instead provided by theleader of the council. The leaders since 1985 have been:
| Councillor | Party | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Worrall[13] | Conservative | 1985 | 1995 | |
| David Thornewell[14] | Liberal Democrats | 1995 | 2003 | |
| Mark Worrall[13] | Conservative | 2003 | 26 Apr 2012 | |
| Nicolas Heslop[15][16] | Conservative | 30 May 2012 | 13 Jul 2021 | |
| Matt Boughton[17] | Conservative | 13 Jul 2021 | ||
Following the2023 election and subsequent by-elections up to May 2025, the composition of the council was:[18][19]
| Party | Councillors | |
|---|---|---|
| Conservative | 21 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 11 | |
| Green | 8 | |
| Labour | 2 | |
| Independent Alliance | 2 | |
| Total | 44 | |
The next election is due in 2027.[19]
Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council's main offices are at the Gibson Building inKings Hill, which had been built in 1939 as the officers' mess building ofRAF West Malling.[20] The building is named afterWing CommanderGuy Gibson, known for leading theDambusters Raid, who had been based at RAF West Malling in 1941–1942.[21] The council moved to the Gibson Building in November 1974, just a few months after the council's creation.[22] A large extension to the Gibson Building was added in 2000.[23] The council also has an office atTonbridge Castle, which had been the offices of the former Tonbridge Urban District Council.[24]
Since the last boundary changes in 2023, the council has comprised 44councillors elected from 19wards, with each ward electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years.[25]
InParliament, the borough is covered by theTonbridge,Maidstone and Malling andChatham and Aylesford constituencies.
Much of the district is covered bycivil parishes, with the exception being the former Tonbridge Urban District, covering the town of Tonbridge, which is anunparished area. The parish council for Snodland takes the style "town council".[26]
Six railway routes operate through the borough.
TheSouth Eastern Main Line on the route London – Tonbridge – Ashford International – Dover crosses the west of the borough with stations atHildenborough andTonbridge.
TheMaidstone East Line on the route Victoria – Maidstone East – Ashford International – Canterbury – Thanet with its stations atBorough Green & Wrotham,West Malling for Kings Hill,East Malling andBarming crosses the north of the borough.
FromTonbridge, theHastings line services run toTunbridge Wells andHastings, with some through services from Hastings to London, and theRedhill to Tonbridge Line services run to Redhill: through services on that line toGuildford have been discontinued.
TheHigh Speed 1 line with Eurostar services crosses the north of the borough, but there are no stations here, although southeastern high speed commuter services to / from London St Pancras call at Snodland during the morning and evening peak periods.
TheMedway Valley Line links theNorth Kent Line atStrood with theSouth Eastern Main Line atPaddock Wood railway station. Stations are atSnodland,New Hythe, andAylesford on the Strood – Maidstone West section of the line in the north of the borough andWateringbury on the Maidstone West – Paddock Wood section of the line in the south of the borough.Beltring and Brandbridges Halt is close to the borough boundary. Trains on this line now run through from Paddock Wood to Tonbridge, but through services from Maidstone West via Strood to London Bridge have been discontinued.
The borough has road routes passing through it. There are three motorways: theM2,M20 and theM26; three west-east roads (A20;A21 and theA26 road). Three other roads of similar stature are theA227,A228 andA229.
In addition there arelong distance footpaths, among them theGreensand Way, theMedway Valley Walk, theWealdway and the Eden Valley Walk.[citation needed]
In terms of television, the area is served byBBC South East andITV Meridian. Television signals are received from the Tunbridge Wells[27] andBluebell Hill TV transmitters,BBC London andITV London can also be received from theCrystal Palace TV transmitters.
Radio stations for the area are:
Local newspapers areKent and Sussex Courier andKent Messenger, which is published by theKM Group.
Tonbridge and Malling has youth projects and organisations including Cupid FM, the first ever youth radio station or project of its kind within the area. The project received funding and support from Kent County Council and Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council, and during 2006 set up a studio and online broadcast which came to a close in November of that year. The station was run by local teens and music was populated by the latest chart hits.
The councillor presiding at council meetings was initially called the chairman until December 1983 when the council was awarded borough status and the role was renamed mayor. The existing chairman at that point, Barry Hughes, became the first mayor.[5]
The following people and military units have received theFreedom of the Borough of Tonbridge and Malling.
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Kent History Illustrated Frank W Jessup (KCC, 1966)
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