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Wednesday October 23 | 2019
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By-election is first test of public opinion since theatre rejected By Robert Forrester
FOODIE DELIGHT: Long awaited street food market is to open in Ely Court giving the town centre a boost. Full story page 3
Helping children is a top priority in £1.5billion county hall budget By Richard Williams Householders will pay an extra £50 next year in tax levied by Kent County Council (KCC) under a new annual budget unveiled in the same week its new Leader takes the reins. Cllr Roger Gough was last Thursday voted Leader of the Council, following his election to Leader of the controlling Conservative Group earlier in the month. Cllr Gough, who has served on the authority since 2005 representing Sevenoaks North and Darent Valley, has taken over the role from Cllr Paul Carter, just as KCC has announced its annual budget. The authority has around £1.5billion a year to spend on services for the people of Kent, which is equal to about £1,000 for each of the 1.5million people in the county. KCC has outlined what it sees as its priorities for the next financial year and has
also declared that it wants to increase Council tax from April 2020. The county council says its key priorities are: Helping children and young people get the best start in life.
‘KCC says it wants to put up Council Tax by two per cent’ Helping communities benefit from economic growth by being in-work, healthy and enjoying a good quality of life. Helping keep older and vulnerable residents safe and supported with choices to live independently. While the Council has been given extra money from the Government, KCC says it is ‘unlikely not to keep pace with the
additional costs and demand for our services’ and it estimates a budget gap in 2020-21 of between £18 million and £22m. As a consequence, it says it wants to put up Council Tax by two per cent – the maximum limit for increases allowed without holding a referendum. This would add an extra £23.04 per year for a typical band C property. In addition, the Government now allows Councils to add a further 2 per cent on Council Tax bills to pay for social care. Last year KCC spent a third of its budget – more than £500million – on care for adults and older people, and a further £187million on children’s social care. The ‘Social Care Levy’ would add a further £23.04 to Council Tax bills, meaning the average band C Council Tax payer would see their bills rise by £46.08 to
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POLITICAL parties will be taking the temperature of the local electorate next month when they contest the Culverden by-election. It will be the first test of public opinion since opposition parties forced the controlling Conservative group of Tunbridge Wells Borough Council to abandon plans for the £108million Calverley Square theatre project. Culverden ward, which extends behind St John’s Road and Mount Ephraim, is expected to become a hive of activity in the coming weeks as political canvassers try to convince residents to support their candidate.
Candidates Voters go to the polls on November 14 to elect a replacement on Tunbridge Wells Borough Council [TWBC] for Dr Ronen Basu [Conservative], who died last month. Nominations closed last week, and among the candidates is a former Mayor of Tunbridge Wells, as well as a member of the Liberal Democrats, Justine Rutland. The party, who won a seat in Culverden last May after
LIBERAL DEMOCRAT Justine Rutland
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