Tunbridge Wells Borough Council: 2022 will be interesting!

 In 2021 the Conservatives lost control of the council, a control only possible with the deciding vote of the Conservative mayor.  The Conservative Leader of the Council retained his position as did his Cabinet.  It is anticipated the Tories will lose seats at the May 2022 elections and power will transfer to the opposition councillors - Liberal Democrat, Alliance, Labour and one Independent. The Conservatives have only themselves to blame having ousted Roy Bullock and replaced him with a dithering nonentity who promptly lost his seat to UKIP.  On his departure he was replaced by a councillor who lived in East Sussex (although qualified to be a councillor),  was certainly more dynamic, and managed to split his party before losing his seat. Since then there have been Leaders who to put it mildly have overseen drift and decline.

It remains to be determined if the current three opposition parties will be able to form a coherent controlling group.  Prior to the May elections what are these parties going to do?  Will they agree on electoral pacts as after all they will have to unite behind one set of policies post the elections?  Will the parties stand on a policy platform agreed before the elections and placed in the public domain?  Or will we see squalid secretive deals done after the elections thus making the electorates' choices irrelevant?

Opposition is easy, promises can be made, negative criticism aired, outlandish assertions made all of which will come back and bite.  Will the new 'management' be up for the fight or will it succumb to in-fighting and thereby lose the trust of voters?

We may be amazed of course by the Tories pulling off electoral victory!

Twerp of the Year Award

 This year I shall break with tradition and name a group as my Twerp of the Year.  A drum-roll for the Conservative Group on Tunbridge Wells Borough Council.  The Group 'succeeded' in losing control of the council to a motley bunch of Labour, Liberal  Democrat and Alliance councillors with an Independent thrown in for good measure.  I expect the Tories to lose more seats in May 2022.

What happens then will be interesting.  Doubtless squalid secretive negotiations will take place to decide who gets the plum jobs and the policies to be followed.  The effect will be that the negotiations will render irrelevant whom an elector votes for should that vote be cast for a non-Tory candidate.

So how is it that the Tories have lost control to this group?  Perhaps it was a loss of nerve when a group of local foghorns, social media users amd political chancers united to oppose the theatre proposals.  Instead of taking them head-on the Tory Group took the road of appeasement in the hope of saving themselves from losing seats.  It hasn't worked.  It has been a shambles.

New theatre proposal rejected by council.

By 27 votes to 12 the proposal for a new theatre and council offices was rejected by Tunbridge Wells Borough Council.  The opportunity to provide the town and surrounding area with a modern theatre has been lost and so Tunbridge Wells will be saddled with a decrepit building which will never be capable of being improved to current standards.  The town will continue to hold second class events in a third-rate building.

Sadly the majority group on the council has caved in to a bunch of failed politicians, those with a self-interest in blocking the development and assorted loud-mouths.  In years to come the folly of the decision will become clear.

Tunbridge Wells Proposed New Theatre

Tunbridge Wells is in decline as a shopping destination.  Walk round the shopping mall and retail based streets and you will see many empty shops.  The decline in high street shopping is not unique to Tunbridge Wells as more people use internet shopping or out-of-town retail parks.  So what can be done to prevent the town being overrun by charity shops?  There has to be a reason or reasons why people come into the town centre.

The council developed a plan for a new theatre to replace the ageing Assembly Hall, a building that is no longer suitable for purpose and will remain so even if huge sums are spent on renovations.  Start again with a new building that will attract first rate productions.   But sadly a bunch of political has-beens, local foghorns and the self-interested raised objections.  This bunch are happy to see the second-rate and second class continue quite oblivious to the need for change.  When a car wears out you change it.  The Assembly Hall is worn out, send it to the junk yard.

Planning botch-up

It was obvious immediately on its opening that there was insufficient car parking at the hospital at Pembury. Tales abound of people driving round for up to an hour to find a space.  For my part I arrange for a lift to the hospital and make my way home by bus.

The problem for many people is that the bus is not an option.  Apparently the NHS Trust knew there would be a problem and pressed for more parking spaces.  The idiots in the local council's planning department, backed by councillors, refused. to agree to extra places citing central government 'green transport criteria'.  Bonkers.

Tunbridge Wells Borough Council elections

The election season is upon us. Nominations have closed for the borough council elections on 5th May.  Nothing of interest to get excited about.  Possibility of close results in Capel, Rusthall,  Pembury, St John's and Southborough.

http://www.tunbridgewells.gov.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/119960/Borough-Statement-of-Persons-Nominated.pdf

Tunbridge Wells Farce

The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government is Greg Clark  who is also the MP for Tunbridge Wells.

For years successive governments have been urging local authorities to make savings and improve efficiency by merging or sharing  back-room operations.

Then this happens:

http://www.timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk/taxpayer-foots-150k-bill-for-collapse-of-planning-service/

Pounding the streets

When I was a councillor (1996-2000) a task I set myself was to pound the streets in search of potholes, uneven pavements and faulty street lighting and report defects to the council.  It was time-consuming but now the web has made fault reporting easier and quicker, as I discovered when reporting a fault in the street light outside my home.

The Pantiles. ATM- Free Zone

The Pantiles is a major visitor attraction.  The decision of Barclays to close the Pantiles branch has seen the demise of the last bank branch at the lower end of Royal Tunbridge Wells.  The Post Office branch closed years ago.  So, here you are a visitor to the Wells and you wish to replenish your wallet.  Barclays took their ATM with them.

Where to go?  The railway station or Sainsbury?  Hardly user- friendly for visitors wishing to spend money in that part of Tunbridge Wells.

Many visitors wish to shop at the top end of the town and use the Crescent Road car park. The condition of the public lavatories has deteriorated over the years.  Worse still, the facilities close at 5.30PM and not 6.00PM as stated on the notice of opening hours.

Perhaps Councillor Jukes could bring his talents to bear to deal with these matters rather than pursue his crazy proposal to drive visitors and locals away from public transport by closing Fiveways to buses.

Twerp of the Year Award 2015

From a crowded field a clear winner has emerged.  Step forward Councillor David Jukes, Leader of Tunbridge Wells Borough Council.

Councillor Jukes has seen off strong opposition - from machine gun refugee killing Steve Uncles of the English Democrats to members of the White Elephant Club in Rusthall, namely parish councillors spending money on the old fire station.

However all this pales into insignificance when set against Councillor Jukes declared intention to ban buses at Fiveways having just spent a huge sum on a road scheme which does provide for buses.

Shambles at Tunbridge Wells Borough Council

According to the Times of Tunbridge Wells  the chief executive of the borough council is 'quite bitter' that the council is facing a £150m gap in its infrastructure funding.  Quite right too.

But then....you do wonder when the council spends a  lot on a cycling strategy which will cost a huge sum to implement.

Add to this the fact that the council is hankering still to ban buses from Fiveways: a move which will inconvenience many passengers, add to road congestion at key junctions, lengthen journey times and make timetables a work of fiction.  A really bright idea.

Makes one wonder if, with the present clueless mob, withholding infrastructure money is not a bad thing after all.

Cycle routes strategy for Tunbridge Wells or away with the fairies

How much did this cost to produce?  What is the cost of achieving  the proposals?  Austerity? Strapped for cash?

http://consult.tunbridgewells.gov.uk/portal/economic_development__regeneration/cycl/cycl?pointId=1442496491425

Just think of the proliferation of street clutter with all the signs.  Pembury Road is a good example of clutter.

Route 9 will be a nightmare on Rusthall High Street.

Ashford went mad over cycle routes - hardly used.

Best thing would for this strategy to be kicked into the long grass and give the thumbs down to the vociferous cycling lobby. Spend the money on improvements to public transport.

A stupid idea, courtesy of councillor Jukes

The defining moment in the reign of councillor David Jukes has arrived with his stupid idea and attendant comments on changing bus routes through the centre of Royal Tunbridge Wells.  Before reading on please click on the link below:

http://www.courier.co.uk/Council-boss-wants-say-goodbye-town-buses/story-27471325-detail/story.html


The 281 route service was a shambles.  The twelve minute interval service was abandoned. On one occasion passengers waited forty minutes for a bus and then three turned up together.  One can but hope, but I am not holding my breathe, that Rusthall Parish Council and the two newly elected councillor for Rusthall on Tunbridge Wells Borough Council will tell councillor Jukes to make his resignation a priority.

Tunbridge Wells Council: wrong again.

From the Tunbridge Wells Borough Council website:

Councillor Podbury was elected to Tunbridge Wells Borough Council to represent Rusthall but she is not an elected member of Rusthall Parish Council.  She is an elected member of Speldhurst  Parish Council.

Cinema site. No end in sight?

Since 2000 the old cinema opposite Tunbridge Wells Town Hall has rotted away. It is the 'grot spot' par excellence.  Developers have come and gone.  Likewise council leaders. Council leaders have wrung their hands and muttered about compulsory purchase.

The local Conservatives published recently 'In Touch', a campaign leaflet from which is taken the following gem.

See also:

http://www.courier.co.uk/Lib-Dems-action-Tunbridge-Wells-cinema-site/story-20246220-detail/story.html

Soup Bowl - a year on.

Tunbridge Wells Borough Council kicked the Soup Bowl out of its premises with indecent haste a year ago. The efforts of the local MP and the Bishop of Rochester to persuade the Council to change its mind came to nought.

A year on the premises remain empty.  The anniversary of the ejection of the Soup Bowl is to be marked.  The Soup Bowl has issued this:

Next Friday 28th June 2.30-3.30pm,  we shall distribute sandwiches and food bags from the steps of the Town Hall. 

We hope to have a reporter/photographer from the courier present.

This is to highlight that fact that it is a whole year since the Soup Bowl premises were closed and that one year on the premises remain empty, in spite of promises to refurbish them and rehouse families.

This will be a 'peaceful demonstration'

Would you please email anyone who may be supportive to this cause

Ah diddums

See:

http://kentoldgrumpy.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/ah-diddums.html

Rusthall Community and Youth Project

Pleased to see the November minutes of the parish council on-line.  Keep up the good work.

One of the items discussed at the November meeting was the withdrawal of funding by Tunbridge Wells Borough Council for Rusthall Community and Youth Project and a request by the Project for the parish council to provide funding.  The matter was deferred for further analysis of the Project's costs.

I hope the parish council does support the Project.  It has been running for many years and at least two of the parish councillors have been trustees/officers. The leader of the Project, Mike Bassett, was awarded a Civic Medallion by Tunbridge Wells Borough Council in recognition of his sterling service to the Project.

How not to run a Council, Tunbridge Wells style

We live in a representative democracy by which I mean our MPs and councillors are elected to represent an area and are not elected as delegates for that area.  A representative may makes promises to the electorate in a manifesto or election address but is not mandated to pursue a specific course of action.

A councillor has to address the needs of the council area as well as the interests of the electorate in his/her ward.  This can lead to difficult decisions.  The mark of a principled councillor is a willingness to run the gauntlet of the electorate and support a wider need rather than a narrow ward based interest.

That said, it is important councillors and councils seek to understand the opinions of the electorate before taking a decision, indeed seek the views of people on emerging plans and policies.

Two issues have arisen in Tunbridge Wells which illustrate how matters should not be approached by councils.

The first concerns a plot of land used as a recreation area.

The Council owns the land and is seeking planning permission to built residential accommodation on part of it.  The locals are up in arms. One ward councillor claims to have known nothing about the proposal before the planning notice was issued.  Surely the Council and councillors should have given residents the opportunity to debate the idea of building on this land? No community engagement whatsoever.  Poor show.

The second issue is a decision taken to ban parking on pavements on six roads in Royal Tunbridge Wells.  The owners of vehicles parked on pavements will receive a £70 fine.  Members of the public have no right to dispute the introduction of the restrictions because it is an experimental traffic regulation order.   This is disgraceful.  There may well be good reasons for the parking ban, but there should have been consultation prior to the decision being taken.

One can but hope that the electorate will consider the cavalier attitude of the Council on both issues and think carefully as to where they place their 'X' at forthcoming elections. Councillors at times have to be brave and support proposals which are not in the interest of their electorate. Such councillors would secure my vote even if the decision was not one I supported, so long as they had consulted on it.

Rusthall's closed toilets

It is some years now since Tunbridge Wells Borough Council closed the public toilets in Rusthall.  At the parish council elections in 2011 some of the candidates promised, if elected, to see what could be done to to-open them.

Here we are, seventeen months later, the toilet block is in a sad condition, Rusthall's premier grot-spot.

The parish council should either re-open the toilets or demand that Tunbridge Wells Borough Council demolish the block.