The Full Council of Tunbridge Wells Council met on Wednesday 15 July 2026, approving the establishment of a new Royal Tunbridge Wells Town Council and adopting a revised Corporate Net Zero Strategy with a new target year of 2046/47. The council also formally adopted the Southborough and High Brooms Neighbourhood Development Plan and the Sandhurst Neighbourhood Development Plan, following successful referendums.

Establishment of Royal Tunbridge Wells Town Council

After considering the results of a Community Governance Review, the council unanimously voted to establish a new parish of Royal Tunbridge Wells, to be styled as a town. This new town council will be named the Royal Tunbridge Wells Town Council and will consist of 17 councillors, divided into six wards: Culverden, Pantiles, Park, Sherwood, St James', and St John's. Delegated authority was given to the S151 Officer and Monitoring Officer to complete the necessary legal formalities for the transfer of allotments and associated functions. The results of the community governance review consultations were noted.

Corporate Net Zero Strategy Adopted

The council adopted its Corporate Net Zero Strategy, which revises the previous target of 2030 to 2046/47. This decision was made after acknowledging the significant progress already made, including a 54% reduction in the Council's Scope 1 and 2 emissions since 2018/19. The new strategy aligns with the British Standards Institution (BSI) Net Zero Pathway and includes interim targets for emissions reductions across all scopes. Councillor Rob Wormington, Portfolio Holder for Environment and Sustainability, highlighted that the revised timeline reflects a more realistic understanding of the work required, particularly concerning Scope 3 emissions, which constitute the majority of the council's carbon footprint. The strategy includes a detailed carbon reduction plan and an indicative cost of approximately £24.4 million to achieve net zero by 2046/47.

Neighbourhood Development Plans Adopted

Following positive referendum results, the council formally adopted the Southborough and High Brooms Neighbourhood Development Plan (SHBNDP) and the Sandhurst Neighbourhood Development Plan (SNDP). The SHBNDP received 88.6% support in its referendum, and the SNDP achieved 95.2% support. These plans will now form part of the statutory development plan for their respective parishes, carrying full legal weight in planning decisions. Councillor Matt Lowe, Portfolio Holder for Planning, thanked the residents and town councillors involved in the extensive preparation and consultation processes for both plans.

Other Business

The council also noted the use of urgency procedures for several Cabinet decisions, including those related to increasing electrical capacity at Calverley Grounds, the Capital Management Report Quarter 4, and the Tunbridge Wells Borough Local Plan Review. A motion on notice from Councillor Wormington to promote the reduction of single-use plastics was carried, with the council resolving to lead by example, encourage plastic-free initiatives, and nominate a member representative to the Plastic Free Community Steering Group. The council also authorised the affixing of its common seal to various documents. The Overview and Scrutiny Committee's Annual Report for 2025-26 was approved.

Public Questions

Mr James Tansley submitted several questions to Councillor Rutland and Councillor Hall concerning the Royal Victoria Place refurbishment, the Victoria Snooker Centre, and RivingtonHark's services. Councillor Rutland addressed the validity of the petition regarding the Victoria Snooker Centre, stating it could not be accepted as it was hosted on Change.org and signatories could not be verified. She also provided details on the RIBA 2 design for the Royal Victoria Place refurbishment, noting that Full Council decisions on proceeding would be made once planning permissions were secured and costs were more certain. Councillor Hall provided figures for payments made to RivingtonHark and explained the process for deriving market mean salaries for director grades.