West Kent Local NewsYour trusted source for local news and community updates
News
Council decisions, crime, community life and the stories shaping day-to-day life across West Kent.
All Articles
224 total
Tunbridge Wells Council Raises Formal Concerns Over Sevenoaks' New Local Plan
Tunbridge Wells Borough Council has flagged a newly added housing site at Broke Hill Golf Course that was never previously consulted on, and says the water company's own supply plan doesn't reflect the scale of growth Sevenoaks is now proposing. The comments are due to Sevenoaks by 17 September.
The Plan to Abolish West Kent's Four Councils Has Been Paused
The Government has paused its plan to scrap Sevenoaks, Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge & Malling and Maidstone councils and replace them with new unitary authorities by 2028, after new legal advice. Kent County Council had been due to consider suing the Government over the plan the very next day.
Petrol Prices Are Back at a Four-Year High - the Same Story That Started in West Kent Back in April
The national average price of petrol has hit its highest level since 2022, and diesel its highest since April, after a sharp rise in oil prices tied to the ongoing Middle East conflict. It's a continuation of the same spike we first reported on in West Kent five months ago - and this time a fuel duty rise is adding to it too.
Months Before the Stand-off, Tugendhat Told Ministers South East Water Couldn't Supply 13,000 of the Homes Required
Six months before it became a public stand-off, Tonbridge MP Tom Tugendhat stood up in Parliament and warned that there simply isn't enough water for the number of homes the Government wants built here - and the water company had already told the council so in writing.
Local Plan Consultation Opens as Tonbridge & Malling Leader Tells Minister the Intervention Was Unnecessary
Tonbridge and Malling's Regulation 19 Local Plan consultation has formally opened, but Council Leader Cllr Matt Boughton has written to Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook arguing the Government's order to proceed was unnecessary and risks producing a plan that can't actually be built.
Royal Victoria Place's Ely Court Plans Cleared to Progress After Listing Decision
Plans to redevelop Ely Court, part of the wider Royal Victoria Place transformation in Tunbridge Wells, can now move to the next stage after the Department for Culture, Media and Sport ruled that the former Friendly Societies Hall on Camden Road will not be listed.
Government Pauses Kent Council Shake-Up, Putting New West Kent Authority in Doubt
The government has paused and ordered a review of Local Government Reorganisation in Kent and Medway after new legal advice, throwing the timetable for a new West Kent unitary council - and the joint committee already being set up to prepare for it - into uncertainty.
Tonbridge's Outdoor Pool Is Staying Open All Winter Again - and Swimmers Couldn't Be Happier
Tonbridge Swimming Pool's outdoor pool will stay open right through to March for a second year, kept at 20-21°C, after more than 7,000 extra swims were logged last winter and regular swimmers said it transformed how they cope with the darker months.
Three West Kent Primaries Become Academies as New School Year Begins
Staplehurst School, St Francis' Catholic Primary in Maidstone and St Mark's CE Primary in Tunbridge Wells all converted to academy status on 1 September - each joining a different trust, in a reminder of how much of West Kent's primary sector has now moved out of direct council control.