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Wednesday May 10 | 2023
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Hever Castle & Gardens
SINGING IN THE REIGN: Residents from Crowborough joined the crowds in London to watch the Coronation on Saturday. (L-R) Julie Petit, Christine Singer, Melissa Lewis and Sarah Dorrell
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No clear majority for Council By Victoria Roberts and Lilly Croucher DESPITE some hard-fought campaigning, last Thursday’s local elections have resulted in Tunbridge Wells Borough Council (TWBC) continuing with No Overall Control (NOC), as parties prepare for the ‘all out’ vote expected next May. This year’s vote saw 16 seats – onethird of the total of 48 – up for grabs in the Borough elections. Despite national reports of significant Labour and Lib Dem gains at the expense of the Conservatives, the effect was muted in Tunbridge Wells. After the ballots were counted in
Tunbridge Wells on Friday, no party had gained or lost more than two seats, and just six out of the 16 seats had changed
Despite national reports of significant Labour and Lib Dem gains at the expense of the Conservatives, the effect was muted in Tunbridge Wells party colour, with only the Conservatives seeing a net loss of seats.
If proposals for new ward boundaries and councillor numbers are approved, next year’s election could see much more drastic changes, with 48 seats being squeezed to 39, and 20 wards giving way to just 13. Though all parties in the governing Borough Partnership – Liberal Democrat, Tunbridge Wells Alliance and Labour – made small gains, no majority emerged, so at the time of writing, the Borough Partnership looks set to continue. In another local exception, only the non-national Tunbridge Wells Alliance took seats from the
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INSIDE: Coronation celebrations in pictures – pages 8-11 CIF_Hever_Spring_23_194x45.indd 1
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