Should Tunbridge Wells Borough Council take on a debt of £ 68 million to boost the shopping centre it owns in the town centre? The deputy leader of Tunbridge Wells Borough Council, Justine Rutland of the Liberal Democrats, explains why she thinks the redevelopment plans are right for the town. She explains to Martin Webber how plans for a new "boutique" cinema will provide desperately needed meeting places for young people. And she defends the plan to demolish one of the town's important heritage buildings, the Victorian Friendly Societies' Hall on Camden Road. The memorial foundation stone was laid by Queen Victoria's daughter, Princess Louise, to great excitement in the town in 1877. Justine also addresses the petition signed by 5,000 people who want the Friendly Societies' Hall to be saved - it's currently a thriving Snooker centre.

The failure of the water supply for most residents in Tunbridge Wells in recent weeks has made national headlines.

It's left people angry and frustrated that previous lessons haven't been learnt. A group "Dry Wells Action" has been set up which held a public meeting on Wednesday 21st January.

Around a hundred residents turned up, but both South East Water and their regulators said they couldn't attend.

Martin Webber was there with his colleagues Liz Barnes and Zac Daunt-Jones talking to the people who's lives have been turned up-side-down by the lack of a basic public service.

Interviewees included the founder of Dry Wells Action, Jonathan Hawker, and water industry expert and chartered geologist, Charles Hedges (after 15 mins he expresses his deep concerns about South East Water's performance).

Yes. There’s been quite a gap since my last podcast was released to the world. But I’m back. And in the coming months I promise once more to be regularly publishing fascinating interviews on what you need to know about local issues.

Firstly, the best bits from two of my in depth interviews in the past year with the Tunbridge Wells Liberal Democrat MP Mike Martin.

I tackled him at length about whether the Lib Dems are in tune with the public mood on the issues of Gatwick expansion, house building on green fields and immigration.

I also wanted to get answers on how his party would deal with the UK government’s record £2.7 trillion of debt. That is £40,000 of debt for every person in the country - and it’s still rising.

I started by asking him how he felt in the moment he found out that he'd become the very first Liberal Democrat MP for Tunbridge Wells.

Do get in touch with any reaction to the interview - and check out the YouTube site Southborough News for more about local people and issues.

Thanks so much!

Martin Webber, West Kent Talking's Presenter and former BBC World Service Business Editor 1995-2022

If you want to learn more about the candidates at the General Election in Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells, then listen to them here.

In Tunbridge Wells, Mike Martin of the Liberal Democrats, Hugo Pound of Labour and Neil Mahapatra of the Conservatives make their case to be elected.

Next you hear the arguments of the Green Party and their candidate in Tonbridge, Anna Cope. There's a response from Tom Tugendhart, who's been the Conservative MP for Tonbridge for the past nine years.

After that more voices. There's Reform UK, the SDP and the Lib Dem candidates in Tonbridge. Plus Reform UK and the Independent in Tunbridge Wells.

The Green Party is also standing in Tunbridge Wells and the final two candidates in Tonbridge are Labour and the Independent Alliance Kent, who we could not contact in time for this recording.

The May local elections are fast approaching. They take place on Thursday 2nd May.

There are no votes this year in Tonbridge, but in Tunbridge Wells all the seats on the Borough Council are up for grabs. In most areas, you get 3 votes.

Democracy is all about making an informed choice.

So, do listen on to get a better idea of what the six main parties standing all want to do.

Tunbridge Wells Borough council is currently a coalition led by the Liberal Democrats. The Lib Dems run things with the votes of the Tunbridge Wells Alliance Party, Labour and one independent, Rodney Atkins.

There are several recurring issues in the interviews ahead. One is the council’s decision to persist with fining motorists for driving through a section of road opposite the Town Hall. A staggering £ 1.5 million has been raised so far - that’s a staggering sum given that council tax revenues are £ 9 million a year.

The fact that tens of thousands of motorists have been fined suggests most drivers are simply confused. Some visitors to the town who received a 70 pound fine - have said they won’t be back.

Also still controversial is the Local Plan for housebuilding and the recent increase in charges in council car parks.

This is a pretty unpredictable election as there are new ward boundaries and the total number of councillors is being cut from 48 to 39.

Listen to:

Nick Pope of the Tunbridge Wells Alliance Party,

David Hayward of the Independents for Tunbridge Wells Party,

Tom Dawlings who is leader of the Conservatives on TWBC,

Hugo Pound who is leader of Labour on TWBC,

Geoff Mason who is Chair of Tunbridge Wells Green Party and Ben Chapelard, leader of the Liberal Democrats on TWBC

Listen to Kent's new captain, Daniel Bell-Drummond, explain his passion for the sport. He was inspired by his parents and their Jamaican ancestry to devote himself to cricket, joining his local team in north west Kent.

Presenter Martin Webber then discusses the current structure of the game with Kent County Cricket's Chief Executive, Simon Storey. They discuss why traditional four day cricket played in whites with a red ball is almost all played at the extreme start and end of the season. Is it being neglected? Plus we find out about the issues preventing the Kent men's team from returning to playing at the picturesque Tunbridge Wells Nevill Ground.

This episode focuses on two buildings. And maybe - just maybe - there could be some lessons to ponder for architects and planners.

We will visit a local building that’s 700 years old and is more popular than ever.

But we start by discussing a place that’s now about to be demolished - even though it was constructed just 40 years ago.

Opened in 1981 - the Angel Leisure centre in Tonbridge has been deemed to be “no longer fit for purpose”.

A meeting of key members of Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council on 5th December decided the current building should be flattened.

There will be new leisure facilities in the town, but no decision has been made so far on exactly where that’ll be.

Listen to interviews with the leader of Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council, the Conservative Matt Boughton, and Mark Hood - a councillor for the Green Party.

The 700 year old building that’s still thriving and much loved is Ightham Mote. It's run by the National Trust.

I caught up with Lisa Oxborough of the Trust and Bernadette Gillow who is the Trust's general manager at Ightham. I asked about Ightham Mote’s preparations for Christmas and plans to restore the walled garden - until recently a car park.

There had been fears that Tonbridge could lose a valued independent bookshop. The owner of the Mr Books store in the High Street was selling up earlier this year - and it wasn’t clear that anyone would want to take on the shop.

But good news - The bookshop is still open- under new management and with a new name Teppa Books.

Our reporter Marion Westram spoke to the latest owner of the shop - he’s Paul Marchant of Sworde-Teppa charity, which focusses on work in Tajikistan.

Gatwick Airport wants to double its passenger numbers from current levels. Its proposals are being considered by the planning authorities. Members of the public have until the end of Sunday 29 October 2023 to register if they want to comment. Many local residents are concerned about noise and pollution from the airport. Listen to the arguments against Gatwick's expansion from campaigner, Charles Lloyd. Plus hear from Gatwick's Head of Noise and Airspace Strategy, Andy Sinclair, on why he thinks the plans are compatible with net zero climate commitments and why night flights won't increase.

We also return to the organic orchards of Mole End Farms to hear about their summer growing season and why their apples are the largest they've ever had. We hear from apple pickers - some have come from as far away as Central Asia for the seasonal work.

Cyclists have continued to campaign for better cycle routes in West Kent - we'll hear how their convoys on the A26 were received. Then we talk to the Pembury Councillor David Hayward who left the "Tunbridge Wells Alliance" Party and formed a new "Independents for Tunbridge Wells" Party in the summer. He explains why.

Finally, we focus on cricket, after Kent sucessfully avoided relegation from Division One of the County Championship on the final day of the season. We speak to Kent's new captain Daniel Bell-Drummond about how his parents inspired him to take up the game. And we hear from Kent Cricket's Chief Executive Simon Storey on the chances of county cricket returning to the Neville Ground in Tunbridge Wells next season. To end, Fred Atkins explains his role as the Kent reporter for the ECB network and he runs through the highs and lows of Kent's 2023 season.

Hear from the people in power after the West Kent local elections of May 2023, plus be prepared for a mass cycling event and decide whether the fines are fair for motorists who entered the seemingly invisible "Bus Lane" in Tunbridge Wells.

In Tonbridge and Malling, the Conservatives lost their overall majority, but the former leader of the council, the Conservative Matt Boughton, was re-elected as leader for another four year term. He tells us how he stayed in power. Then the Green Party councillor, Anna Cope, talks about the election outcome and her fears over the use of chemicals on the Borough's streets to kill weeds.

The state of the parties in Tonbridge and Malling now looks like this: Of the 44 seats, Conservatives have 20, Liberal Democrats 11, Greens 8, Labour 3 and Independent Alliance Kent have 2.

Friday 9th June is the date for a so-called mass cycle ride starting simultaneously in both Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells - and converging on Southborough Common. The aim is to get a safe dedicated cycle path along the route of the A26. We speak to Paul Mason of Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells Bicycle Users Group, known as TTWBUG on why he thinks car drivers get an unfair slice of UK transport spending.

On Tunbridge Wells Borough Council, the local election results did little to affect the balance of power. The Liberal Democrats stayed out in front - going up from 15 to 17 seats. The Conservatives dropped from 12 to 11, as the Tunbridge Wells Alliance went up from 9 to 11. Meanwhile, Labour rose from 7 to 8 seats and there’s now one independent.

The Tunbridge Wells Alliance Party was formed five years ago - to oppose £100 million of borrowing planned by the then Conservative administration to fund the building of a new theatre, council offices and car park in Calverley Grounds. That scheme was eventually dropped after the Conservatives lost seats in successive elections - and more and more of their own councillors rebelled against the plans.

The 2023 elections seem to have proved that the Tunbridge Wells Alliance Party remains relevant even though the issue which created it is no longer around. The party’s Chairman, Nick Pope, has now been elected deputy mayor. By tradition, this means he becomes THE mayor next year with a casting vote in the council that could become crucial. We replay the local restaurant owner Matthew Sankey's tribute in the council chamber to the work of Nick Pope.

Finally, we hear from the Liberal Democrat, Ben Chapelard, who was re-elected as leader of Tunbridge Wells Borough Council. One issue that had come up in the campaign was the daytime ban on cars driving past the War Memorial outside the Town Hall. Thousands of motorists have apparently accidentally missed the complex signage and been handed a £35 fine. Lots of drivers were pretty unhappy. 600 people have signed a petition on the Kent County Council website that argues that the fines should be refunded and the scheme suspended - a stance also backed by the local MP, Greg Clark. I challenged Ben Chapelard about that scheme but first heard about a successful 2023 election for his party.

The Conservatives currently dominate Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council. But the opposition parties believe they can change that in the May 2023 elections.

In this podcast you can hear interviews with representatives of the five main parties fighting for votes.

In Tonbridge & Malling all the seats are up for grabs this year - their system is having one election every 4 years. That’s a different arrangement from Tunbridge Wells where the votes are staggered and we have elections most years.

In this year’s Tonbridge vote, in some wards Greens or Lib Dems aren’t standing - which may well boost the chances of the Conservative being defeated.

Another complication is that there have been changes to the boundaries and a cut in the total number of councillors which has made predicting anything almost impossible.

So have a listen to decide who you trust the most. First Anna Cope from Greens, then the Conservative current leader of the council, Matt Boughton, responds to some of her points. Then we hear from Frani Hoskens of the Liberal Democrats who are currently the second biggest party with 9 seats. And after that a new young candidate hoping to be elected for Labour, Callum Lake. And finally a member of the Independent Alliance Kent, Sue Butterfill - her party is trying to edge out of its Borough Green stronghold into neighbouring villages.