Wednesday March 14 | 2018
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OF TONBRIDGE
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LOCAL SCOUT SEEKS HELP TO TAKE ‘TRIP OF A LIFETIME’ page 14
Local, National and International
WE ROAD TEST THE SHINY NEW BMW X2 page 74
PRIMARY SCHOOL WELCOMES ‘POET IN RESIDENCE’ Page 23
If you want a town council you will pay more council tax, says Heslop
But Cllr Heslop, whose borough council is one of the poorest in Kent and recorded a budget deficit of £1million last year, warns that the new body would entail a significant extra expense – and a rise in council tax. He says: “Those promoting a Tonbridge Town Council should consider the costs as well as any possible benefits. It would need its own premises and staff and a need for another layer of management.” The campaign group point out that residents have been paying a precept under the new Special Expenses Scheme introduced in April last year – for amenities such as open spaces, children’s play areas and sports facilities – but unlike every other part of the borough it does not have its own town or parish council to administer it.
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PILLARS OF THE COMMUNITY: Local historian Pam Mills marches on International Women’s Day; she also gave a talk about the Tonbridge Suffragists movement at Mr Books, and the town’s 6th Brownies troop visited the bookshop to consider how women have changed the world for the better. For more pictures of International Women’s Day See pages 3, 6-9
THE Leader of the borough council, Cllr Nicolas Heslop, has responded in forthright fashion to plans to form a town council. As reported in the Times last week, a petition is being set up to obtain the 3,000 signatories – 7.5 per cent of the town’s population – required so that Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council (TMBC) has to conduct a consultation on the project. The campaigners say they want a dedicated local authority because ‘in order to thrive, Tonbridge needs its own council to champion its interests’.
Precept
COUNTRY MUSIC FESTIVAL COMES TO ERIDGE PARK
PHOTO: Rose Bainbridge
£10billion railway could link town directly to Gatwick and Heathrow By Andy Tong andy@timesoftonbridge.co.uk A PROPOSAL has been put forward to build a railway line that will link Tonbridge directly to Gatwick and Heathrow airports – in a project costing £10billion. HS4Air (High Speed for Air) would install a high-speed service linking Ashford to the holiday hubs via Edenbridge. Engineering consultants Expedition have developed the plan, which they are calling ‘an M25 for high speed trains’. It would connect the existing HS1 line to the HS2 route at Denham, passing both airports before joining the Great Western Main Line. Expedition Director Alistair Lenczner, the project leader, said: “HS4Air has been developed to allow rail and avia-
tion infrastructure projects in south-east England that are currently unconnected to become joined up. This will offer greatly enhanced benefits for users.” He added: “In a way, HS4Air can be
‘HS4Air can be regarded as a high-speed railway version of the M25’ regarded as a high-speed railway version of the M25 around London, except that it allows much faster journey times with no congestion and with far less impact on the environment.” The 87-mile line would run on the existing route from Ashford through Tonbridge to Edenbridge before switching to the new track.
Some services from Ashford would stop at Tonbridge, but those going from the airports into Europe would not do so. Because the line from Ashford to Tonbridge is almost dead straight, the existing Southeastern line can be readily upgraded to run high-speed trains. London’s crowded rail networks would benefit from passengers and freight not using its entry and departure points. Similarly it would relieve pressure on the congested M25 and M23 motorways, bringing environmental benefits to the south-east as well through reduced carbon emissions and less air pollution. Stronger transport links across southeast England would stimulate economic growth across the region.
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INSIDE PURR-FECT FRIEND
Tributes paid to Sapphie the ‘adored’ station cat Page 2
DRUM UP SUPPORT Pop in for a noisy session with MusicStation Page 2
PLANTING AN IDEA
Get set for a colourful spring with our garden tips Page 53
TILL THE BITTER END
Angels slip to defeat after two goals in added time Page 79