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Good morning, Tunbridge Wells!

In today’s Brief, we look at the government's quiet U-turn on pub taxes after pressure from local hospitality businesses, and the growing fallout from the pre-Christmas water outages that may have cost town centre firms up to £20m.

On the brighter side, this week is stacked with things to escape the sofa: the Banff Mountain Film Festival brings big-screen adventure to the Assembly Hall, while electronic music history comes to town as Wolfgang Flür (ex-Kraftwerk) lands at The Forum.

WEATHER

Monday: 6°C 🌡️ 9°C | 🌧️

Tuesday: 6°C 🌡️ 9°C | 🌧️

Wednesday: 5°C 🌡️ 11°C | ☁️

THE BRIEF

↪️ Local Labour U-Turn: Tunbridge Wells MP Mike Martin has welcomed a Government U-turn on plans to raise taxes on pubs. The change follows lobbying from a group of 17 local hospitality businesses he brought together. Martin submitted evidence to a business rates consultation, arguing the system punishes investment and favours online retailers. The group called business rates flawed and backed replacing them with a Commercial Landowner Levy. Martin said the decision helps pubs, but warned wider reform is still needed to protect high streets.

🏰 Hever History: Visitors to Hever Castle are invited to uncover forgotten stories of the famous estate at a special fundraising talk this March. The event supports the Festival Theatre at Hever Castle. It will feature historian Dr Owen Emmerson sharing new research and archival discoveries. Over a cream tea, guests will hear how recent findings are reshaping understanding of the castle's past. The talk takes place on the Hever Castle estate, with time to explore the gardens beforehand. Read more here.

👷 125 Homes: Plans have been submitted for 125 new homes on farmland at Spratsbrook Farm, backing directly onto gardens in Ramslye Road. The scheme would see 40% affordable housing, with access from the busy A26 Eridge Road, alongside large areas of open space. The site sits near ancient woodland, a scheduled Iron Age monument, and land recently removed from Green Belt status. It revives a long-contested proposal, though at a reduced scale. Read more here.

💳 £20m Lost: Businesses in Tunbridge Wells may have lost £10–£20 million after major water outages before Christmas. Thousands of homes, shops and restaurants were left without water, forcing some businesses to close. Local MP Mike Martin says the compensation on offer is far too low and is asking businesses to share evidence of their losses. Some firms say they lost tens of thousands of pounds in a few days. Pressure is growing on South East Water to take responsibility. Read more here.

👋 Bye Barnardos: A well-known Barnardo’s building on London Road in Southborough could soon become homes. Plans have been submitted to turn the former offices into two two-bedroom houses, returning the building to its original use. Barnardo’s moved staff to home working and sold the site last year. The location, close to the busy A26, has raised noise concerns, which may lead to extra conditions if approved. Read more here.

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THIS WEEK

Banff Mountain Film Festival | Assembly Hall | Wed, 7pm | Epic adventure shorts — climbs, kayaks, bikes. | £19.75​

Live Next To The Apollo | Assembly Hall | Thurs, 7:30pm | Absolutely stacked lineup — nonstop laughs, sharp edges, and big TV energy | £19.50+​

Thank You For The Music | Assembly Hall | Fri, 7:30pm | Pure ABBA joy — sparkly, loud, impossible not to sing along | £34.25​

Boyband In The Buff | Assembly Hall | Sat, 7:30pm | Nostalgic bangers, cheeky fun, lots of laughs and abs | £35​

Al Murray - All You Need Is Guv! | Assembly Hall | Sun, 7:30pm | Classic Pub Landlord chaos — sharp jokes, rowdy crowd, brilliant silliness | £34.25+​

Beauty & The Beast: The Musical | Trinity Theatre | Thurs, Fri & Sat | Sweet, polished school show — big songs, loads of heart | £15+​

Classics By Candlelight | Trinity Theatre | Sat, 6pm & 8pm | Utterly gorgeous — candles, strings, and instant calm for the soul | £10+​

Bugonia | Trinity Theatre | Sun, 5:30pm | Weird, funny, unsettling — left me thinking about power and paranoia | £11​

Better Joy | The Forum | Thurs, 7pm | Dreamy indie-pop — big feelings, catchy hooks, left humming all night | £13​

BE N!CE | The Sussex Arms | Sat, 7:30pm | Sweaty, shouty punk — brilliant chaos, left buzzing and hoarse | £8​

Back to the 90's | The Forum | Sat, 8pm | Pure 90s nostalgia — hands up, bangers only, zero shame dancing | £11​

Dark House Comedy - Toussaint Douglass | The Sussex Arms | Sun, 7pm | Smart, weird comedy — laughed hard, pleasantly surprised throughout | £10​

Table Tennis | Sunnyside Hall | Mon & Sun | Play table tennis every week (1st session is free) | £4​

Badminton & Pickleball | Sunnyside Hall | Fri, 6pm | Play badminton & pickleball every week (1st session is free) | £5​

FURTHER OUT

Penshurst Gardens Reopen | Penshurst Place | 14th Feb | Lovely half-term wander — kids’ trail, playground, and early spring vibes | Details​

Music Tonbridge Showcase | The Forum | Mon, 6:30pm | Talented young bands — enthusiastic covers, great vibes, future stars | £7​

The Sussex Jam Night | The Sussex Arms | Sun, 4pm | Friendly jam vibes — turn up, play loud, make new music mates | Details​

Wolfgang Flür | The Forum | Sat, 7:30pm | Electronic history up close — hypnotic beats, serious synth nerd joy | £25​

SPORT

⚽FOOTBALL

31st Jan:

• Tunbridge Wells vs. Kennington (POSTPONED)

3rd Feb:

• Tunbridge Wells vs. Faversham Strike Force
• Snodland Town vs. Rusthall

7th Feb:

• Tunbridge Wells vs. Chislehurst Glebe
• Hollands & Blair vs. Rusthall

🏉RUGBY

31st Jan:

• Worthing 15 - 26 Tunbridge Wells

🏑HOCKEY

31st Jan:

• Tunbridge Wells (Men's) 2 - 5 Old Georgians
• Tunbridge Wells (Women's) 0 - 0 Marden Russets

31st Jan:

• Folkestone Optimist vs. Tunbridge Wells (Women's)
• Woking vs. Tunbridge Wells (Men's)

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THANK YOU

Hope you enjoyed this week's letter!

Jamie

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