The Overview and Scrutiny Committee of Tunbridge Wells Council met on Monday 15 June 2026 to discuss water supply issues with South East Water and to consider the establishment of a new town council for Royal Tunbridge Wells. The committee heard detailed accounts of recent water supply interruptions and the long-term investment plans to improve resilience, and also debated the merits and potential implications of creating a new town council, including its governance, funding, and responsibilities.

South East Water - Question and Answer Session

The committee held a question and answer session with representatives from South East Water, including Douglas Whitfield, Water Supply Director; Matthew Dean, Head of Operations Control; and Rob Crumbie, Head of Communications. The session addressed recent water supply interruptions that had affected the Tunbridge Wells area, particularly in November and January.

Douglas Whitfield apologised for the disruptions, explaining that the November incident was due to a treatment problem at Pembley Treatment Works, exacerbated by low raw water reserves and quality fluctuations. The subsequent January outage was primarily a network infrastructure failure, compounded by increased demand due to a freeze-thaw event and power fluctuations affecting treatment works.

South East Water outlined their five-year investment plan, which includes £2.1 billion to enhance operational resilience, with a significant focus on Kent. Key projects include expanding the Buell Treatment Works to produce an additional 7 million litres of water daily and upgrading the Pembrey Treatment Works. They are also investing in new strategic mains to improve water transfer across East Kent and are planning for the Broad Oak Reservoir, expected to be online between 2035 and 2040. Additionally, 50 million litres of treated water storage tanks are being created across Kent to improve buffer capacity.

Concerns were raised by Councillor Thomas Mobbs regarding the impact of outages on rural villages and the capacity of infrastructure to cope with additional housing. South East Water acknowledged approximately 3,000 burst mains annually, a standard number that is slowly increasing. They are significantly increasing mains renewal rates to address this. Regarding housing growth, they explained that their Water Resource Management Plan (WRMP) is based on government housing growth numbers, but recent growth has exceeded these assumptions, creating a short-term challenge. They are not currently a statutory consultee in the planning process but are flagging potential supply issues.

The committee also discussed communication during incidents, with South East Water acknowledging criticism and outlining efforts to improve information dissemination through workshops with local resilience forums and councils. They are also working on developing clearer guidance for residents during boil notices and have improved their emergency plans, though these cannot be published due to security regulations.

Councillor Hugo Pound, speaking as a registered speaker, highlighted concerns from Ofwat letters regarding negative supply-demand balances and above-forecast leakage. He questioned the timeline for achieving supply-demand balance and the process for advising the local authority on potential supply shortfalls for housing numbers. South East Water clarified that resource zones 1 and 7 are not in supply deficit, but rather zones 6 and 8 in Kent. They are working on short-term solutions to address deficits and are reviewing long-term bulk supplies and new reservoirs.

The committee also explored South East Water's investment plans, including the use of Price Control Deliverables (PCDs) to measure performance and the profiling of their £2.1 billion investment, which is expected to be back-loaded due to a slow start in year one. They are also investing in technology, including smart meter rollouts and smart networks, to improve leakage detection and reduction.

Concerns about public trust were raised by Councillor Jayne Sharratt, who noted inconsistent messaging during the boil notice incident. South East Water expressed deep sadness at the loss of trust and committed to being honest and open about challenges and solutions, emphasizing that trust will be earned through delivery. Rob Crumbie, Head of Communications, acknowledged inconsistencies in the initial boil water notice communications due to rapid implementation and the misalignment between district meter areas and postcodes.

Community Governance Review - Review of the un-parished area of Royal Tunbridge Wells

The committee considered a report on the Community Governance Review (CGR) for the unparished area of Royal Tunbridge Wells, presented by Jane Clark, Head of Policy and Governance, and Councillor Ben Chapelard, Leader of the Council. The review's primary aim was to determine whether to establish a town council for Royal Tunbridge Wells.

The report detailed two consultation phases, both of which indicated a majority in favour of establishing a town council, although response rates were noted as low (2.83% in the first phase and 0.9% in the second). Despite the low turnout, over 60% of respondents in the first phase supported the idea. The recommendations from the Community Governance Review Working Group proposed establishing a parish of Royal Tunbridge Wells, to be styled as a town council, with 17 councillors representing six proposed wards: Culverden, Pantiles, Park, Sherwood, St James', and St John's.

Councillor Simon Davidson highlighted the low response rates, questioning the mandate for such a significant change, particularly as the initial purpose of the town council would be to manage allotments. Councillor Chapelard acknowledged this point, suggesting that a stronger mandate would come after the first town council elections in May 2027.

Concerns were raised by Councillor Thomas Mobbs about the potential cost to taxpayers and the lack of a fixed precept, referencing a significant increase in Paddock Wood's parish precept. Councillor Chapelard explained that while the borough council could not dictate the town council's precept, initial discussions with borough councillors for the respective wards would inform the starting budget. He noted that allotments currently generate a surplus, but overheads would need to be factored in.

Councillor Jayne Sharratt expressed mixed feelings, valuing the work of existing parish councils but sharing concerns about public interest and potential council tax increases. Councillor Mobbs reiterated concerns about the unknown initial costs and the potential for significant precept increases, citing examples of 200% rises.

Councillor Martin Brice provided a range of current parish council precepts to offer a ballpark figure for potential costs. He also raised questions about the political nature of the proposed town council and the potential disadvantage to non-incumbent candidates if borough councillors were involved in a shadow working group. Councillor Chapelard clarified that there was no requirement for the council to be non-political and that political parties would likely contest elections. He also noted that while incumbent borough councillors might have an advantage in a working group, anyone could stand for election.

The committee discussed the role of shadow councillors and the significant time commitment required without additional remuneration. Jane Clarke explained that a formal shadow council was not legally required, and a working group would be formed of interested members.

The committee considered the contents of the report and recommendations for Full Council, and provided comments for the consideration of Full Council.

Overview and Scrutiny Committee Annual Report 2025-26

Caroline Britt, Democratic Services Team Leader (Interim), presented the Draft Overview and Scrutiny Committee Annual Report 2025-26. The report, which covered the period from May 2025 to March 2026, summarised the committee's work, including statutory functions like community safety and health, and its scrutiny activities. Members were informed that the draft report had been updated to include discussions from the March meeting and would be presented to Full Council in July for approval. The committee agreed to approve the Draft Overview and Scrutiny Committee Annual Report 2025-26.

Work Programme

The committee reviewed its future work programme for 2026-2027. It was noted that Councillor Hugo Pound, despite no longer being a member of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, would remain on the South East Water task and finish group. Councillor Ash Shukla was added to this group. Democratic Services had received an email from Southern Water requesting to provide an update on their business and role in wastewater services, and members agreed to invite them. Caroline Britt would also send out an email to members requesting suggestions for future topics. Councillor Martin Brice suggested a review of the Joint Transportation Board before local government reorganisation.

The meeting concluded with the Chairman thanking all attendees for a constructive session. The next meeting was scheduled for Monday, 27 July 2026.