Wednesday April 19 | 2017
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THE WOMAN WHO PREACHES THE GOODNESS OF NUTS AND SEEDS Page 56-57
Councillors delay their own pay cut until 2019 ballot By Murray Jones MEMBERS of the borough council have chosen to accept decreases to their pay, but only until after the next round of elections in 2019. A majority of councillors are facing a 5.6 per cent cut in their £5,283 basic allowance – dropping down to £5,000. The changes were recommended by the Joint Independent Remuneration Panel [JIRP]
Savings However, the Council Leader’s position was deemed to be underpaid by £1,616. From 2019, those in the role will receive £25,000 a year. A new position of Deputy Leader is to be created because of statutory requirements – and they will receive an allowance of £14,000, rising to £15,000 in two years. Overall, however, the changes are expected to save £30,000 annually, although the council’s decision to defer until 2019 means these savings cannot be made immediately. In the 12 months from April 2016, taxpayers have spent £390,200.31 on council members’ allowances, mileage and expenses. The last JIRP recommendation was in 2013, in which the council actually voted against an increase in their allowances. The recent changes have been criticised for increasing senior members’ pay whilst depleting regular councillors’ allowances.
SAILOR PROVES DISABILITY IS NO BARRIER TO AN ACTIVE LIFE Page 8
THERESA MAY ANNOUNCES SHOCK SNAP ELECTION FOR JUNE 8 Page 18
Children’s choir sing for peers in poverty A CHOIR of schoolchildren from Uganda sang to an audience of more than 200 at Tonbridge Methodist Church on Saturday [April 15] to raise awareness of impoverished children in their home country. Aged from 7-13, the 20 children come from 13 Ugandan primary schools built by charity Abaana. They are currently halfway through a four-month tour around the UK to raise support and funds for their peers back home. More than £2,000 was raised from the evening in Tonbridge. Victoria Lawrence, a church youth worker, said: “It was such a privilege to listen to this sensational choir. “To be able to witness every child singing completely free of inhibitions and overflowing with a unique passion and vibrancy for the message they carry is something that shall remain with me for a long time.”
SPREAD THE WORD The children perform at Tonbridge Methodist Church
TUNBRIDGE WELLS HOSPITAL will have to pay an extra £1million because of a rise in its business rates following a revaluation. The Pembury site, which serves the Tonbridge community, is the seventh worst affected hospital nationwide after seeing its bill rise by around 62 per cent. The Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust [MTW] has confirmed that it will be fighting the ruling. It has already been placed in Special Financial Measures following the forecast of a £23.4million budget deficit last July. The new rateable values, set by the gov-
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INSIDE EASTER SPECIAL
We review the weekend’s cracking events Page 16
PERFECT GAME
Bowling League reflect on another thrilling season Page 78
Hospital is one of the hardest hit in the country after £1million tax rise By Andrew Tong newsdesk@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk
ACTOR DISCUSSES HIS TONBRIDGE ROOTS AHEAD OF NEW SHOW
ernment’s Valuation Office Agency, are calculated to take into account the rise in property prices between 2008 and 2015. They are normally revised every five years but the latest round was controversially delayed for two years, meaning the rise is steeper than usual.
‘These rises in business rates liabilities highlight just how punitive the system has become’ MTW paid £1.59million in rates in 2016, but the bill at Maidstone is low by comparison and has not increased significantly. Jerry Schurder of Gerald Eve, a company which advises public sector bodies on
business rates, said: “At a time when the NHS is under huge budgetary pressures, these rises in business rates liabilities highlight just how punitive the system has become and will be a cause of real concern for those tasked with delivering hospital and clinic services.” More than 150 trusts have jointly threatened to stage a test case against a local authority unless they are granted an exemption or rebate. Around 80 trusts have asked councils to treat them as charities so they can qualify for an 80 per cent discount. Private health providers like Nuffield Health, the UK’s second largest charity, benefit from such tax breaks because of their status as registered charities.
LOCAL ELECTIONS
The parties make their pitch as county ballots approach Page 4
NO ONE WATCHING
Town’s CCTV threatened after Tunbridge Wells decision Page 2