Phase two consultation results
This page sets out the headline results from phase two of our public consultation and the next steps for our Community Governance Review.
About our public consultation
We ran two phases of public consultation. There are no further planned consultation phases for this review.
The first phase of consultation ran from Monday 2 June until Sunday 3 August 2025 and invited those who live, work, or have an interest in the review area to tell us if they think new parish and/or town council(s) should be created to represent the unparished areas of Tunbridge Wells. View the phase one consultation results here.
The second phase of consultation ran from Monday 29 September until Sunday 30 November 2025 and followed publication of our Draft Recommendations proposing the establishment of a new town council for Royal Tunbridge Wells. The consultation asked for views on:
- what a new town council should be called
- the number and names of town council wards
- how the town council wards should be divided
- the number of town councillors
Phase two results
The headline results from the second phase of public consultation are set out below, followed by information about the next steps.
Responses received
We received a total of 341 responses to our phase two consultation survey. The breakdown of how responses were received is:
- 318 online
- 23 paper forms
Headline results
When asked if the proposed town council should be called ‘Royal Tunbridge Wells Town Council’, the responses were…
- Yes: 285 (83.6%)
- No: 38 (11.1%)
- Unsure: 18 (5.3%)
When asked if the proposed town council should be split into wards, the responses were…
- Yes: 293 (85.9%)
- No: 38 (11.1%)
- Unsure: 10 (3.0%)
When asked if the proposed town council wards are divided in a way that reflects the community identity and interests in the area, the responses were…
- Yes: 251 (73.6%)
- No: 52 (15.3%)
- Unsure: 38 (11.1%)
When asked if the proposed town council ward names are appropriate, the responses were…
- Yes: 280 (82.1%)
- No: 33 (9.7%)
- Unsure: 28 (8.2%)
When asked if 17 town councillors, representing the six town council wards is appropriate, the responses were…
- Too many: 104 (30.5%)
- About right: 220 (64.5%)
- Too few: 17 (5.0%)
Next steps
The Council's Working Group will now consider all representations received and the results of the phase two consultation survey, including the comments and suggestions made. These will be used to inform the Final Recommendations which will be published in February 2026.