ANNOUNCEMENT

4 December 2008 — A Post Office Essential branch has opened in the southern end of Royal Tunbridge Wells, at the Martins Newsagents in the High Street on a trial basis (the Post Office in former Safeways/Morrisons supermarket was closed in 2006).
The convenience outlet will provide 85 per cent of normal post office services to residents and traders in the High Street and The Pantiles who had to travel to the top end of town for the nearest post office at Fiveways.

FORTHCOMING MEETINGS in 2009

4 December 2008 — CS Select Committee Work Programme 2008-2009
Kat Hicks, Senior Overview and Scrutiny Officer (Tunbridge Wells & Maidstone Partnership
— Meetings are open to the Public.

Major Reviews: Medway Depot, Partnerships
One-Offs: Voter Turnout, Value for Money
Monitoring: Trinity, Gateway
On Hold: Capital, Prioritisation

FORTHCOMING MEETINGS in 2009

2 December 2008 — LEH Select Committee Meetings are open to the Public.

15 January 2009
— Conversion of front gardens into parking spaces
with Cllr Mrs Elizabeth Thomas, Rob Cottrill (Dir. Development/Planning), Jim Kehoe (Head of Planning), Town Forum representatives, Parish representatives
— Borough-wide Parking Study
with Cllr Paul Barrington-King, Gary Stevenson (Head of Environmental Services), Emma Smith (Parking Mgr), Consultants.

26 February 2009
— Working with the South East England Development Agency
with Rob Cottrill, Representatives from SEEDA
— Road Safety and Transportation Scrutiny Review
with Laurence Doig, Cllrs Neve, Ransley, Holden
— Six-month update Migrant Workers Review / Rural Bus Services Review recommendations
with Laurence Doig

FORTHCOMING EVENT

26 November 2008 — The lantern parade will take place on Saturday 6 December 2008 4pm. We will meet in the Calverley Precinct (the pedestrianised area of Calverley Road in between Marks and Spencers and Waterstones) at 3.30pm - Camden Road will be closed at 4pm.
We expect the whole parade to last 40 minutes to 1 hour. Once we get to St Barnabas School, African drumming band Tricky Beats will be playing in the hall (warm drinks will be available).

The final workshops to make a lantern will be held in St Barnabas Church Hall this weekend
29 and 30 November 2008 (Saturday 10am - 5pm, Sunday 1pm - 5pm).
- If you have made a lantern and left it with us, you will be able to collect it from the main hall at the Camden Centre from 1pm on Saturday 6 December.

ARE YOU AWARE?

November 2008 — Japanese Knotweed is often found in or adjacent to highway verges.
It is Kent County Council's job to remove it in the correct manner to avoid further spreading.
If you think you’ve seen this plant by the highway, please call 08458 247 800 or visit www.kent.gov.uk/highways.
Reporting Knotweed

FORTHCOMING MEETING

17 November 2008 — The next meeting of the Local Economy and Housing Select Committee will be held on Tuesday 25 November, 6:00 pm, in Committee Room A, Town Hall, Royal Tunbridge Wells.
(The future delivery of the Tourist Information Centre - Housing Performance Indicators -
West Kent Leader programme - Slivers of Time)
TWBC Overview & Scrutiny - Select Committee

ANNOUNCEMENT

14 November 2008 — Kent Police has decided it will no longer charge charity and community groups for policing their events. — BBC News

FORTHCOMING PUBLIC MEETING

11 November 2008 — "Come to a Public Meeting at Tunbridge Wells High School, Blackhurst Lane, Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN2 4PY on Thursday 4 December 2008 at 7pm.
An elected member of Kent County Council will chair this meeting. You will be able to ask questions and tell us what you think regarding the school closure process. Officers from the Local Authority, the Project Management Consultancy and representatives from the Sponsors will also be present to tell you more about the proposals to open an Academy."

TW High School - Info & Public Consultation Reply Form

ANNOUNCEMENT

2 November 2008 — "We have now virtually completed laying the entire 1km section of water main (to secure water supplies to 15,000 customers in Tunbridge Wells) and so are in the final stages of this part of the project. As of Sunday 2 November 2008 and following extensive discussions with Kent Highways Service and Environmental Health Officers at Tunbridge Wells Borough Council, we will be carrying out some Sunday working (limited from 09:00 to 17:00) to ensure the pipe testing and chlorination of the new main and additional connection works can be completed by 28 November 2008. We will be seeking permission from Tunbridge Wells Borough Council on a week-by-week basis for further Sunday working, depending on our continued progress." — Graham Webb, Infrastructure Development Manager, South East Water

FORTHCOMING MEETING

4 November 2008 — The Chair of Tunbridge Wells Access Group, Michael Coggles, invites members of the Town Forum to the next Access Group meeting on Monday 24 November, 10:00 - 12:30, in Committee Room A at the Town Hall in Royal Tunbridge Wells.
There will be presentations and discussions on access to the rail network and stations in the borough (representatives from the rail companies will be present).

EASY TO READ GUIDES

November 2008 —
Fact Sheet 1 - Why does commissioning matter? Who are the commissioners?
Fact Sheet 2 - What is monitoring? What is evaluation? ['Every Child matters']
Fact Sheet 3 - Why get involved with voluntary and community sector representation?
Fact Sheet 4 - Why the new vetting and barring scheme? (May 2008)
[The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 to be phased in from October 2009]
Fact Sheet 5 - Why workforce development? (July 2008)
[Links to further resources/information]
Fact Sheet 6 - Why governance? What do trustees do? (July 2008)
Fact Sheet 7 - Why Local Area Agreements? What is a LAA? (August 2008)

FORTHCOMING EVENT

28 October 2008 — The AGM will be held on 25 November 2008 at 7pm.
"We hope you can join us for this special event in the TN2 Community Centre, Sherwood, Royal Tunbridge Wells." (Graham Webb MBE, guest speaker) — www.westkentymca.org.uk

ANNOUNCEMENT

The Town Hall will be closed to the public from Monday 3 November 2008 when all Council services will be delivered from the new Tunbridge Wells Gateway
at 8 Grosvenor Road, Royal Tunbridge Wells.


Tel: 01892 526121 / e-mail: info@tunbridgewells.gov.uk

FORTHCOMING EVENT

16 October 2008 — A consultation event is being held on Tuesday 18 November 2008, 12-2pm in the Council Chamber. At the event people can find out about what the new online guide will offer and will be invited to share what venues they think should be included in the guide.
The guide will provide detailed information (inc. disabled access) for 1,000 venues across the Borough including hotels, tourist attractions, pubs, local libraries, train stations, leisure and entertainment facilities and council offices.
If people are unable to attend the consultation event Tunbridge Wells Borough Council have also set up an online forum to allow people to suggest venues for the guide.

Further INFO: DisabledGo - international disabled access information guide

ANNOUNCEMENT

10 October 2008 — Living Places is an alliance of public bodies who believe everyone should benefit from the arts, sport, public space, heritage, museums, libraries and archives, the built environment and the creative industries, regardless of where they live.

Five cultural agencies: Arts Council England, the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE), English Heritage, the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) and Sport England - sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (CMS) and the Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) and the Academy for Sustainable Communities (ASC) - have come together formally to work together on supporting the role of culture in communities.

ARE YOU AWARE ?

1 October 2008 — There have been a number of important changes to planning legislation which alter what can and cannot be done without the need to make a planning application.
The changes affect the size and location of extensions and outbuildings that can be built, the provision of solar heating panels and the formation of hardstandings in front gardens.
Interactive Guide on the Planning Portal

FORTHCOMING EVENT

25 September 2008 — A special opening event will take palce over the Easter weekend,
11 April - 13 April 2009 to celebrate the return of regular passenger services between Tunbridge Wells West Station and Eridge after a period of 23 years.

ARE YOU AWARE ?

April 2008 — The Royal prefix was granted by King Edward VII (1901-1910) in 1909 in recognition of the town's long association with royalty. Edward VII (1841-1910) may have been especially influenced by the many visits to Tunbridge Wells which his mother, Queen Victoria, had made as a child.
Technically, the prefix was granted to the old borough of Tunbridge Wells as established in 1889. This covered essentially the current 'unparished' area of Tunbridge Wells, Rusthall and Hawkenbury. When the old borough was abolished in 1974 to make way for the current Tunbridge Wells Borough Council, the present Queen Elizabeth II gave a fresh grant of the Royal prefix to apply to the geographical area covered by the former borough.
Hence we are not a 'Royal Borough' (although we were between 1909-1974) - but we have a town "Royal Tunbridge Wells". — The grant of the Royal prefix