Why are we doing this?
Introduction
A town council means that local people can be elected to manage some functions and assets that are currently governed by Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council.
Many people think it’s better if Tonbridge’s amenities are run by Tonbridge people for Tonbridge people, rather than being managed by a council in Kings Hill.
The advantages of a town council
– Community minded people can become town councillors. The majority of parish councillors are independent rather than representing political parties. This means town councillors might be elected entirely because they are good citizens, love their town, and care to make it better, rather than needing to be political party members.
– Tonbridge Town Council could take responsibility for council run assets, our open spaces like River Lawn and our sportsgrounds eventually even Tonbridge Castle.
– If Kent County Council assets like libraries or roads were threatened or poorly run, we would have a strong local body to work for their improvement.
– Although Tonbridge has its own borough councillors, decisions by Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council don’t always put Tonbridge first. One obvious example was when Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council decided to sell River Lawn and 1-4 River Walk and although the former was eventually saved from sale the latter has been subjected to the disastrous rewilding experiment against the wishes of the ward councillors. The borough council has to make decisions based on borough-wide priorities, but a town council can prioritize Tonbridge residents’ needs.
– Town councils can create projects to suit local need. Interesting initiatives by town councils elsewhere include a ‘shared goods service’ where locals can borrow items like lawnmowers or tools, an online service to book local community spaces, and Participatory Budgeting where a community decides the allocation of the council’s budget.
Things to consider
A Tonbridge Town Council would only manage some functions currently undertaken by Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council. TMBC would continue to manage things like bins & recycling, housing, and would still be the local planning authority.
There is a cost involved with operating a town council. Towns and villages across Kent pay varying amounts for their parish council. This adds around 2% to council tax, which covers the administration of the town council. Many people think this small cost is worth it because a town council can support Tonbridge, consider business interests in the town, and generally do its best for everyone living here. Town councillors are always volunteers and unpaid.
Snodland residents pay an additional £91.07 for their town council while Tonbridge residents are already paying £69.02 for the services a town council would deliver through an additional charge called Special Expenses, introduced in 2016. The key difference is that Snodland residents elect locally accountable councillors who oversee how their contributions are actually spent while in theory councillors from across Tonbridge and Malling are making the decisions about what happens here instead but in practice all the decisions are made by the borough councils cabinet and none of them live here or even in an adjoining ward.
Many towns in Kent have town councils, including Faversham, Broadstairs, Folkestone, Sevenoaks, Deal, Dover, Hythe, Ramsgate and Tenterden. Tonbridge is very unusual in being the largest town in a council area but run remotely from Kings Hill, and entirely managed by a district council. All the other towns and villages in Tonbridge and Malling have parish councils which are just smaller versions of the town council proposal for Tonbridge. We have a democratic deficit. The current campaign for a Tonbridge Town Council aims to devolve power into the hands of local people who know what is best for their town as they walk the same streets and use the same services.