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 target 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.

Creation of Royal Tunbridge Wells Town Council

A significant decision made at the meeting was the unanimous approval for the establishment of a parish of Royal Tunbridge Wells, which will operate as a town council. This new council will consist of 17 councillors, representing six parish 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.

Revised Corporate Net Zero Strategy

The council adopted the Corporate Net Zero Strategy, realigning the target date to 2046/47. This revised strategy acknowledges the complexity of achieving net zero, particularly concerning Scope 3 emissions, and is aligned with the British Standards Institution (BSI) Net Zero Pathway. The strategy includes interim targets for emissions reductions across Scope 1, 2, and 3, aiming for a 35% reduction by 2029/30, 64% by 2034/35, 80% by 2039/40, and 88% by 2044/45, before reaching net zero by 2046/47. The estimated cost for delivering these reductions is approximately £24.4 million.

Neighbourhood Development Plans Adopted

Following successful referendums, the Southborough and High Brooms Neighbourhood Development Plan (SHBNDP) and the Sandhurst Neighbourhood Development Plan (SNDP) were formally adopted. The SHBNDP received 88.6% support in its referendum, while the SNDP achieved 95.2% support. Both plans will now form part of the statutory development plan for their respective parishes, influencing future planning decisions.

Other Business

The council also reappointed Mr Edward Elliott as an independent member to the Audit and Governance Committee for a further four-year term. The Overview and Scrutiny Committee's Annual Report for 2025-26 was approved. A motion was passed to recommit the council to tackling single-use plastics, 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 the common seal to various documents.

Questions from the Public

Mr James Tansley raised several questions regarding the Victoria Snooker Centre, the Royal Victoria Place refurbishment project, and the Council's pay policy. Councillor Justine Rutland, Cabinet Member for Economic Development and Deputy Leader, and Councillor Christopher Hall, Cabinet Member for Finance and Property, provided responses. Mr Tansley's petition regarding the Victoria Snooker Centre was deemed invalid as it was hosted on change.org and could not be verified. Regarding Royal Victoria Place, it was explained that decisions on proceeding with design and planning permissions would be a future Full Council decision, and a financial analysis would be published ahead of a future meeting, though the timeline had been pushed back to spring 2027 due to a Civic Society application to list a property. Details of payments made to Rivington Hark for services related to the Royal Victoria Place Shopping Centre were provided, and the methodology for deriving market mean salaries for director grades was explained. Mr Tansley's final question regarding the market mean for director grade salaries could not be answered with a specific figure at the meeting but an offer was made to discuss and write to him. Due to time constraints, Mr Tansley's fifth question was not answered.