TWBC has been Conservative controlled for the last 22 years, but following a poor result in May 2021, the local Tory party, while the largest group at TWBC, they went into the Thursday’s (May 5) elections with just 21 seats.
The Conservatives had been running the no overall control authority as a minority party.
But Thursday’s ballot came amid a host of national scandals that have seen Boris Johnson’s party plummet in the polls.
Locally, the Conservatives were defending 11 of the 16 seats up for election and needed to win at least six of them to stave off a potential vote of no confidence at the first Full Council meeting scheduled for next month.
Such a ballot needs a two thirds majority (32 votes) to pass so could be blocked if the Conservatives managed to hold onto at least 16 councillors.
But Thursday’s local elections saw the party lose nearly all the seats they were defending with just leader Tom Dawlings and Pembury councillor Paul Barrington-King holding their wards.
Gains were made by the Liberal Democrats, Labour and the Alliance.
Council Leader Tom Dawlings told the Times after the count on Friday that he ‘will resign’ and pave the way for former opposition councillors to form a coalition to run the council.
He said: “I will talk to opposition leaders but I expect they will be more keen to work among themselves than they will with me.
“I will resign and it will be up to them to find a new leader but I will look to being co-operative and work with the Council and build on the broad support we have achieved for the Amelia, the Town Hall conversion and the local plan.”
By the end of the count on Friday, the Lib Dems were declared the largest party at TWBC and are likely to form a coalition with both Labour and the Alliance under Lib Dem leader Cllr Ben Chapelard.
The make-up of the 48-seat Tunbridge Wells Borough Council town hall chamber is now:
Lib Dem: 16 seats
Conservative: 13 seats
Alliance: 9
Labour: 7
Independent: 3
More analysis, news and developments in next week’s Times of Tunbridge Wells out Wednesday, May 11.
