Football club tackles Council claiming the club house is ‘dangerous for kids’
A Tunbridge Wells football club has criticised the Borough Council for putting youngsters at risk, alleging the club house is ‘not fit for purpose’. Tunbridge Wells Foresters FC, which is based in Bayham Road, has 49 teams and leases the ground from the council. The club took to social media last week to talk about […]
Council tax hike and second homes are hit but no services cut for now
Inflation this year has wiped out gains to Tunbridge Wells Borough Council’s budget, prompting the Cabinet to recommend raising Council tax and calling on reserves, but not cutting services – or at least not yet. A 2.95 per cent Council tax increase from the start of the new financial year on April 1 would add […]
Rubbish collection service relaunched
TAXPAYERS in the borough are set to bail out Spanish rubbish firm, Urbaser, to the tune of £446,750 this year. The unanimous decision by Cabinet was part of the final 2023/24 budget report in which the coalition cabinet, made up of Lib Dem, Labour and Alliance, agreed that payments of almost half a million pounds […]
Charity battles economic conditions to keep funds flowing from its shops
A HUMANITARIAN charity has battled rising energy prices and short-term leases on the high street, but by consolidating stock in Tunbridge Wells, it is managing to continue sending aid to refugees. RefugEase, which was founded in Rusthall in 2015, has two shops in Tunbridge Wells, on Mount Pleasant Road and Royal Victoria Place (RVP), but […]
Crowborough school praised by Ofsted for its passionate leadership and high-quality learning
Following Beacon Academy’s recent two-day ungraded Ofsted inspection, the secondary school has published the details of the lead inspector’s report. The Times discovers more… Students, staff and trustees at Beacon Academy and MARK Education Trust are celebrating after receiving their latest Ofsted report. As a result of the Academy’s rigorous two-day ‘ungraded’ inspection at […]
Funding cuts see bus route changes
BUS passengers will see services slashed again as six routes in Tunbridge Wells are withdrawn by Kent County Council (KCC). From Sunday (February 12), bus routes 6, 255, 277, 293, 296 and TW9 will see services cut down or withdrawn after KCC voted to cut subsidies to 38 bus routes across the county. The six […]
Residents waiting for ‘pothole blitz’ as reports more than quadruple
MOTORISTS will be unsurprised to learn that a record number of potholes in the county were reported to Kent County Council (KCC) last month – with numbers increasing more than four-fold from this time last year. New data from KCC revealed the council had received 9,241 reports of potholes between December 2022 and January 24, […]
Castlemas blames the media for loss of investors after failing to pay workers
DIRECTORS of Tonbridge Christmas event, Castlemas, who failed to pay their staff, performers, and the borough council, have broken their silence. The event organisers have issued a public statement after Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council (TMBC) told organisers they can no longer use council land after it had not paid any of its workers and […]
It’s carry on nursing as ambulance staff and teachers strike over pay
Nurses report for work while other colleagues join walk out AMBULANCE workers serving Tunbridge Wells walked out on Monday as local teachers prepared for their second strike next month. Both are looking for improved pay and conditions. However, NHS nurses at the hospital in Pembury carried on as normal, unlike their colleagues in other […]
Foodbank donates slow cookers to help its customers stretch supplies
SLOW cookers have been included in foodbank donations this year, as a Tunbridge Wells organisation begins giving out the appliances to help those struggling with inflation. Nourish Community Foodbank is providing 100 slow cookers in a pilot project to offer an energy-efficient way to prepare hot, nutritious meals with low-cost and readily available ingredients. Nourish […]
