Wednesday, November 9, 2016
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PAPER
HARRY HITS OUT AT MEDIA FOR HARASSING HIS GIRLFRIEND PAGE 18
ANOTHER BREXIT HURDLE AS STURGEON PLANS INTERVENTION PAGE 17
SPYDER’S LATEST STYLE EXUDES QUALITY FROM EVERY INCH
JUDDIANS TOP OF THE LEAGUE AFTER SINKING GUERNSEY PAGE 87
PAGE 75
PHOTOS: JENNY LEWIS
Giant poppy takes to the streets for annual fundraiser THE Poppy Appeal in Tonbridge was given a big push when 20 volunteers took to the streets on Saturday to raise funds for The British Legion. The main collection point was centred round the Pavilion Arcade where local musician Tom Carradine played popular songs from the war years on his piano. MP Tom Tugendhat, Mayor Mark Rhodes, Leader of the Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council Cllr Nicolas Heslop, Cllr Vivian Branson and Cllr Owen Baldock as well as enthusiasts from The Queen’s Own Royal West Kent Regiment Living History Group joined the volunteers at different times during the day to help with the fundraising efforts. The Tonbridge appeal’s organiser Carl
COLLECTION POINT: Pictured (l-r) are MP Tom Tugendhat, Chris Bingham, The Royal British Legion Poppy Mascot Carl Lewis, Richard Heald, Leader of the Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council Nicolas Heslop on Tonbridge High Street.
Continued on page 2
Town’s post office under threat
INSIDE
RIVER WALK FACELIFT £500,000 improvement scheme gets underway Page 2
STILL AFLOAT
Barden Road Boaters survive first eviction threat Page 3
WHAT’S ON
Tonbridge Theatre hosts Great American Songbook Pages 84-85
Plans to transfer counter services to WH Smith’s will help cut costs says PO By Murray Jones
newsdesk@timesoftonbridge.co.uk A CAMPAIGN to save the Crown Post Office has been launched by MP Tom Tugendhat, who describes the outlet as ‘one of the crucial pieces of infrastructure’ in Tonbridge. Proposals to move the service from its premises at 5 Angel Walk to inside the WH Smith store at 35-37 High Street were first revealed last month as part of the Post Office’s ‘ongoing modernisation of the network’. The Tonbridge & Malling MP said: “I am
deeply disappointed that the Post Office is considering this. Tonbridge is a town on the up and has a vibrant feel to it. It deserves its Post Office and any decision to close it would not benefit residents, particularly in the south of the town.”
‘Hundreds of residents’ have already signed the petition Once operations move in March 2017, the service will have four staffed counters as well as three self-service kiosks within the stationery and bookstore. But despite assurances from the Post Office that the ‘same wide range of prod-
ucts and services would still be available’, Cllr David Cure, who represents Judd Ward, expressed concerns over the logistics of the new premises. He said: “The new store needs to have plenty of scope for seating for when the queues get long. The current Post Office is quite bulky so they will need to fit a lot of equipment in the new one. “Also, if the queue in Smith’s is extended that will impede the rest of the shop, it could get quite cramped.” A Post Office spokesperson said: “The Crown part of our network has historically been loss-making, with losses four years ago of £46m. We have made
progress over the last few years in addressing this situation.” But Mr Tugendhat has hit back, arguing: “I have been in correspondence with them about the matter and have not received any assurances that the service would improve for customers should a standalone Post Office close.” He has since launched a petition on his website, as part of the Post Office’s public consultation on the move, which ends on November 16. The MP claims ‘hundreds of residents’ have already signed.
For the MP’s full views, see page 24
SPORT
Tonbridge girl selected to play hockey for England Page 87