Tory turmoil and trouble in Tunbridge Wells

The shambles that is the Conservative administration of Tunbridge Wells Borough Council continues. 

We know now why Cllr Tompsett resigned: in protest at the decision of the Conservative Association to de-select Roy Bullock as a candidate at the May elections. Pay back time by an anti- Bullock faction?  As far as I am aware the chairman of the Convervative Group on the Council, Cllr John Smith, remains de-selected by the anti-Bullock forces at large in Cranbrook.  So is a McCarthyite witch hunt on?

The new Leader of the Council, Robert 'Bob' Atwood claimed he was a unifying force. Doesn't seem his words have had much effect on the minor luminaries of the Conservative Association who seem hell bent on blood-letting.  Of course having Roy Bullock out of the way would be convenient for the new Leader.

The local newspaper carried a letter from the Leader of the Council to the papers' readers. Self-congratulatory smug hogwash seems to me to be a mild comment on its content.

Three issues have been spread across the pages of the Courier.

The first is the proposal for a park and ride between the Tesco site in Pembury and the centre of Royal Tunbridge Wells. This scheme looks hare-brained and it is no surprise it has surfaced with the appointment of Councillor Brian Ransley as the holder of the transport portfolio in the cabinet.   Cllr Ransley you will recall had the bright idea that some off-peak trains from Tunbridge Wells to London should terminate at Cannon Street even though the vast majority of passengers head for Charing Cross.  The proposal to increase the size of Tesco store at Pembury, the traffic which will be generated by the new hospital and a park and ride will overwhelm the road system and leave the park and ride buses stuck in traffic.

The second issue is the resignation of Cllr Glenn Hall from the Regeneration Company  (which he chaired)  following the referendum he held in his ward concerning redevelopment of the civic complex.  It seems to me that it is gormless to hold a referendum before any plans for redevelopment have been drawn up. Of the 4900 people invited to vote, 415 opposed and 314 supported redevelopment.  Apathy the clear winner.

The third matter, relates to the second. Cllr Tracey Moore, booted off the cabinet by the new Leader, has written a spirited letter to the local newspaper setting out reasons for redevelopment of the civic complex.

So tensions are continuing in the Conservative Group on the Council.

I finish with the thoughts of one of my correspondents, some of which are echoed in the comments made by Cllr Moore:

The circle around the Civic Society (though it should be made clear that the Society does not endorse the political activities of a noisy minority) represent the presentation of a suicide note to the town. The only way forward is for the Tory Leadership to get a grip and elect or re-elect a leader committed both to public debate and communication and to full throttle regeneration. Above all, political communications must be directed at exposing the reactionary plotters who triggered this crisis and ensuring that they are not allowed to slow down or damage vital investment in the town in order to preserve it as a rest home for aging 'baby-boomers'.