Grammar school exam expected to be delayed by a month
A proposal has been submitted to the authority’s Cabinet Member for Education and Skills to delay this year’s test due to the Covid pandemic. Advertisement The postponement, from September to October, would mean the results of the test would not be available until after parents have made their secondary school selections. The new dates proposed for […]
Outdoor retail giant threatened with closure
Owner JD Sports has filed for court protection for the subsidiary to keep creditors at bay as it mulls over what to do with the business, following reports at the weekend that it was teetering on the brink of collapse. Advertisement The camping and hiking specialist’s owner, which has 67 stores across the UK – […]
John Lewis to reopen in Tunbridge Wells while Laura Ashley holds closing down sale
The ‘at home’ store at the Kingstanding Business Park will reopen its doors on Thursday June 25, having been closed since lockdown began on March 23. Advertisement The retailer has already opened 13 department stores last week. Berangere Michel, director for customer service at the John Lewis Partnership, which also owns Waitrose, said: “We are […]
Councillors at cash-strapped County Hall vote themselves a pay rise
At KCC’s Annual Meeting, held virtually yesterday [Wednesday, June 17], Councillors overwhelmingly voted to approve a new members’ allowance scheme, which will see all Councillors receive a 4.2 per cent pay rise. Advertisement The scheme, which was formulated in July 2017, will see the basic allowance for County Council representatives rise from £15,561.94 to £16,217.00. […]
£100million retirement village gets the green light
The £100million Inspired Village development – the later-living arm of insurers Legal & General – is located on a 9.5-acre site at Little Mount Farm, in Benhall Mill Road, Frant on the Wealden/Tunbridge Wells border. Advertisement The project will comprise 146 retirement homes as well as facilities such as a restaurant, café, library, wellness centre […]
Theatre lands £35,000 in Covid Arts Council funding
The money is being distributed by Arts Council England as part of an Emergency Response Package to help artistic groups struggling througout Covid-19 pandemic. Advertisement Like all theatres, the former Decimus Burton church in Church Road has been closed during the coronavirus lockdown and is to receive £35,000 in funding help. There are 7,484 grants […]
Nearly 2,500 workers in Tunbridge Wells have lost their jobs in lockdown
According to the Office for National Statistics [ONS], there were 3,340 people claiming some form of out of work benefit in the borough up until May 14 – nearly four times the number of people out of work last year. Advertisement Last month’s ONS figures showed that 2,345 people in the borough were making benefit […]
Networking group to host virtual visitors’ day
Advertisement The Tunbridge Wells BNI [Business Network International] used to meet every week in venues such as the Spa Hotel and Salomons Estate, but due to the Covid-19 emergency are now holding their meetings remotely on Zoom. The group, which includes around 30 business owners from Tunbridge Wells and the surrounding areas, covers the full […]
Birth registrations resume after it is revealed 3,500 babies not yet registered
Registration services have been on hold for the past three months as staff have been redeployed to register Covid-19 deaths. Advertisement While people have been able to register deaths over the phone, births require a face to face meeting, which has meant thousands of parents have been unable to register the birth of their children. […]
New look War Memorial unveiled
The memorial outside the Town Hall has been revamped with new steps along each side, aimed at enhancing the setting to create a sense of a public square for use on civic occasions such as Remembrance Sunday. Advertisement Work had been delayed on the revamp as lockdown meant some materials were unavilable to finish the project. […]
