The upcoming Full Council meeting of Tunbridge Wells Borough Council will address a range of topics, including a draft licensing policy, an annual governance report, flexible voting options, changes to the council's constitution, and a parental leave policy for council members. Councillors will also consider a motion on violence against women and girls.

Flexible Voting Pilot

The council is considering participating in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government's (MHCLG) flexible voting pilots for the May 2026 local elections. The aim of the pilots is to explore more convenient and accessible voting processes.

The council’s proposal, detailed in the Electoral Modernisation Pilot Application, involves piloting early in-person voting at three hubs located in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Paddock Wood and Cranbrook. These hubs would be open on the Saturday and Sunday before the election. Electors would be able to cast their vote at any of the three hubs, and hand in completed postal vote packs.

The council is also proposing pilots of print on demand ballot papers, digital poll cards, and an electronic version of the postal vote return form. According to the report, the MHCLG is open to considering alternative models and digital improvements.

The report states that if the application is approved by the MHCLG, the flexible voting pilot will be implemented for the local elections in May 2026.

Draft Statement of Licensing Policy 2026-2031

The council is required to prepare and publish a statement of its licensing policy at least every five years. The current policy is due to expire on 6 January 2026. The draft statement of licensing policy largely replicates the existing policy, but includes additional elements based on emerging government advice and best practice, such as:

• Spiking awareness
• The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, also known as Martyn's Law¹

The draft policy states that the council expects responsible licence holders to proactively engage with schemes that promote night-time safety for both customers and their staff.

Audit and Governance Committee Annual Report 2024-25

The council will consider the Audit and Governance Committee Annual Report 2024-25. The report provides assurance that internal control, governance and risk management issues are being monitored and addressed.

The report notes that the committee has resolved to make improvements, including:

• The Chair of Audit and Governance and the Chair of Overview and Scrutiny should liaise at the beginning of each Municipal Year to determine if there are any areas of overlap in their respective work programmes.
• An action tracker should be incorporated into the work programme document to keep track of actions and requests discussed at Audit and Governance Committee meetings that were unresolved.
• The Committee will keep an overview of developments with regards to Local Government Reorganisation in so far as it impacts on the areas for which the Committee has a responsibility.

Proposed Changes to the Council Constitution

The council is being asked to formally adopt electronic sealing as a method of executing deeds and other official council documents. The report states that the Electronic Communications Act 2000 provides the legal foundation for the use of electronic signatures and electronic seals.

The council is also considering changes to the constitution relating to questions by the public. The proposal is to allocate a total of 10 minutes to each member of the public to ask their questions and receive responses. The 30 minutes allocated for public questions may be extended by a motion for a further period of 30 minutes.

The report also notes that the Monitoring Officer is proposing to delete the reference to the two-thirds majority vote contained in the constitution, to reflect the requirements of the Local Government Act 1972.

Parental Leave Policy for Tunbridge Wells Borough Council Members

The council is considering adopting a formal parental leave policy for council members. The draft policy states that members giving birth are entitled to up to 6 months ordinary maternity leave from the due date, with the option to extend up to 52 weeks with the approval of Full Council. All members would continue to receive their basic allowance in full whilst on ordinary maternity, paternity, adoption or shared parental leave.

Motion on Notice

Councillor Jones has submitted a motion committing the council to tackling violence against women and girls, including stalking and domestic abuse. The motion calls upon the Cabinet Member to develop a borough-wide multi-agency strategy to address violence in public spaces, in the home, and in the workplace. The council will also be asked to note a key White Ribbon UK message: that it is vital to promote the concept of men and boys working to end violence against women.

Other Items

• Apologies for absence
• Minutes from the meeting on 16 July 2025
• Declarations of interest
• Forward plan as at 16 September 2025
• Announcements from the Mayor, the Leader of the Council, members of the Cabinet and the Chief Executive
• Questions from members of the public
• Questions from Members of the Council
• Changes to Political Balance and Appointments to Committees (October 2025)
• Urgent business
• Common seal of the council
• Date of next meeting