Your council
Tunbridge Wells: what’s happening where you live
What the council itself has published on the five things it most shapes for a household: homes, getting about, the bill, the local environment and schools. Each line is quoted from the council’s own document, with the link. This page says what was decided or proposed; it never says whether it was right.
Tunbridge Wells Borough Council: Non-metropolitan district (lower tier), England, South East; within the county of KEN. GOV.UK lists it as a district council, within Kent County Council.
Do it online
- Household waste collection: Providing information
- Household waste collection: Reporting
- Household garden waste: Providing information
- Flytipping: Reporting
- Noise pollution: Reporting
- Council tax annual notification: Providing information
- Council tax annual notification: Collecting revenue
- Council tax discount: Applications for service
- Council tax benefit new claim: Applications for service
- Housing benefit new claim: Providing information
- Electoral register: Providing information
- Electoral register: Applications for service
- Parking permits: Providing information
- Planning decision notices: Providing information
- Councillors directory: Providing information
- Complaints procedure: Providing information
Housing
We haven't read this council's own publications yet. The council’s website
Transport
We haven't read this council's own publications yet. The council’s website
Council tax
Band D set by Tunbridge Wells for 2026–27: £217.10 of a £2,446.15 total bill in the area.
We haven't read this council's own publications yet. The council’s website
Environment
We haven't read this council's own publications yet. The council’s website
Education
We haven't read this council's own publications yet. The council’s website
Changes to schools in this area recorded by the Department for Education Updated automatically
No school here is currently recorded as proposed to open or close.
In the last twelve months: 1 opened (1 academy converter), 1 closed (1 academy converter)
- St Mark's Church of England Primary School (primary) — closed; reason recorded: academy converter, 31 August 2026
- St Mark's Church of England Primary School (primary) — open; reason recorded: academy converter, 1 September 2026
What the council plans to spend, 2026–27
| Service | Budget |
|---|---|
| Education services | none budgeted |
| Highways and transport services | −£3.4 million |
| Children's social care | none budgeted |
| Adult social care | none budgeted |
| Public health | none budgeted |
| Housing services (general fund only) | £3.0 million |
| Cultural and related services | £4.6 million |
| Environmental and regulatory services | £5.6 million |
| Planning and development services | £4.1 million |
| Police services | none budgeted |
| Fire and rescue services | none budgeted |
| Central services | £4.0 million |
| Other services | none budgeted |
| Total service expenditure | £17.9 million |
Tunbridge Wells in numbers
- Total population
- 119,694 people
- Median age
- 43 years
- Gross disposable household income per head
- £34,689
- Gross median weekly pay
- £681
- Children in relative poverty after housing costs
- 16.4%
- Claimant Count
- 2.4%
- Average house price
- £456,227
- Housing affordability ratio (residence-based)
- 9.0 affordability ratio
- Greenhouse gas emissions
- 3.5 tCO2e per capita
- Gigabit capable broadband
- 80.8%
- Public electric vehicle chargers
- 112.8 per 100,000 population
- Active businesses
- 6,440 number of enterprises
Who runs the council
39 seats in 2026. Run by: Liberal Democrats, with a majority.
Councillors by party: Liberal Democrats 25, Conservative and Unionist 7, Tunbridge Wells Alliance 4, Labour Party 3.
Next scheduled council election: 6 May 2027.
All 39 councillors, by ward
- Alexander Ellison (Conservative and Unionist) — Cranbrook, Sissinghurst & Frittenden
- Andy Fairweather (Conservative and Unionist) — Cranbrook, Sissinghurst & Frittenden
- Nancy Warne (Tunbridge Wells Alliance) — Cranbrook, Sissinghurst & Frittenden
- David Osborne (Liberal Democrats) — Culverden
- Justine Rutland (Liberal Democrats) — Culverden
- Martin Brice (Liberal Democrats) — Culverden
- Beverley Palmer (Conservative and Unionist) — Hawkhurst, Sandhurst & Benenden
- Ellen Neville (Tunbridge Wells Alliance) — Hawkhurst, Sandhurst & Benenden
- Tom Dawlings (Conservative and Unionist) — Hawkhurst, Sandhurst & Benenden
- Dianne Hill (Labour Party) — High Brooms
- Christopher Digby (Liberal Democrats) — Paddock Wood
- Don Kent (Liberal Democrats) — Paddock Wood
- Mark Munday (Liberal Democrats) — Paddock Wood
- Christopher Hall (Liberal Democrats) — Pantiles
- Jamie Johnson (Liberal Democrats) — Pantiles
- Pamela Wilkinson (Liberal Democrats) — Pantiles
- Corinna Keefe (Liberal Democrats) — Park
- Matt Lowe (Liberal Democrats) — Park
- Richard Brown (Liberal Democrats) — Park
- Astra Birch (Liberal Democrats) — Pembury & Capel
- David Hayward (Tunbridge Wells Alliance) — Pembury & Capel
- Hugh Patterson (Liberal Democrats) — Pembury & Capel
- David Knight (Conservative and Unionist) — Rural Tunbridge Wells
- Lynne Darrah (Conservative and Unionist) — Rural Tunbridge Wells
- Thomas Mobbs (Conservative and Unionist) — Rural Tunbridge Wells
- Ian Standing (Liberal Democrats) — Rusthall & Speldhurst
- Jayne Sharratt (Labour Party) — Rusthall & Speldhurst
- Matthew Sankey (Tunbridge Wells Alliance) — Rusthall & Speldhurst
- Andrew Wallace (Liberal Democrats) — Sherwood
- Courtney Souper (Liberal Democrats) — Sherwood
- Hugo Pound (Labour Party) — Sherwood
- Ash Shukla (Liberal Democrats) — Southborough & Bidborough
- Kimberley Johnson (Liberal Democrats) — Southborough & Bidborough
- Mark Ellis (Liberal Democrats) — Southborough & Bidborough
- Ben Chapelard (Liberal Democrats) — St James'
- Gavin Barrass (Liberal Democrats) — St James'
- Rob Wormington (Liberal Democrats) — St James'
- Simon Davidson (Liberal Democrats) — St John's
- Ukonu Obasi (Liberal Democrats) — St John's