The parliamentary seat of Tonbridge is seeing a hard fought battle for votes, in sharp contrast to the last General Election five years ago when the Conservatives dominated and took a 64% share of votes.
A poll this week from Electoral Calculus suggests that the Conservative vote share in Tonbridge could fall to just 32%. Both the Green Party and Reform UK campaigns are benefiting from having well-known candidates who live and work in the area.
An election leaflet delivered today from the Conservative Tom Tugendhat, who was the MP until the election was called, concluded: “Thursday’s election will be very close and nobody knows what will happen.”
In an interview for West Kent Radio and Southborough News, the Green Party candidate, Anna Cope, told me the Greens were now the opposition to the Conservatives in the constituency, based on local voting patterns.
Anna Cope (pictured below) said: “There has been a real momentum towards the Green Party in recent years. In 2019, there were no Green councillors and we now actually have 11 – stretching from Tonbridge itself all the way up to New Ash Green, which is a real heartland for the Greens.”
Anna Cope says she has a real feeling for what local people want, as she lives locally, has been elected to the Borough Council twice and teaches at a local school.
Anna Cope argues that the Green Party’s policies are “working towards a fairer, greener planet.” Their plans include nationalisation of the water industry, more cycle lanes, a rejection of Gatwick expansion and a reversal of benefit cuts.
The Green manifesto envisages an extra £250bn a year of public spending – that’s a 20% increase on current levels – with £80bn a year of extra borrowing. But Anna Cope denies that the plans are too radical for many voters, insisting instead that the Greens are the only party being honest with voters about the sums required to improve public services and the environment.
Her full interview is available to watch here:
Meanwhile, the Conservative candidate Tom Tugendhat argues that his recent local campaigns have successfully delivered for Tonbridge residents.
Those campaigns include restoring a Post Office in Tonbridge High Street, a new Edenbridge medical centre, better flood protection and persuading Sainsbury to invest £20 million reopening the space occupied formerly by the Tonbridge Beales shop.
Tom Tugendhat (pictured below) told me: “As a former soldier, I know how important it is to deliver. And having had the privilege to serve this community for nine years, there are a huge number of things that we’ve achieved together. There’s a lot more to do.”
On national issues Tom Tugendhat says the Conservative manifesto plan for £17bn of tax cuts is justified by recent economic growth, despite the UK government’s huge £ 2.7 trillion national debt.
He argues that Labour’s plan to tax private school fees and impose business rates on private schools is “bad for everybody in the educational system”, because he says it will make fees unaffordable for some parents and so add to pressure on state school places. He concludes: “It is not going to save any money, it is going to cost money (for the government).”
On climate change, Tom Tugendhat says the government has already invested hugely in wind and solar power. And he argues that nuclear power – which is rejected by the Green Party and was delayed by the Lib Dems – is vital for cutting carbon emissions. He also wants to stop Gatwick’s new runway plans.
Tom Tugendhat says: “A vote for anybody else except me is going to effectively used as an endorsement for Labour, because it will just increase the majority they are trying to achieve.” Watch Tom Tugendhat’s 20 minute interview here:
The Reform UK candidate, Teresa Hansford, told West Kent Radio reporter Julia Neal about her local credentials. Teresa Hansford has had a business in Tonbridge for the last 12 years and has lived in the town for 22 years.
The Reform UK candidate said: “I am absolutely passionate about Tonbridge. I have always been active in the local community. I love the area and I love the people and I just basically love England.”
Teresa Hansford argues that personal taxes should be cut and she believes Brexit hasn’t been properly implemented. She also wants no more people coming into the UK than leaving it for a period, arguing: “immigration is basically good, but we have got to get a hold on it.”
On local issues she says social housing should be run by companies that are more local, while she says local public transport is too disjointed and expensive and there aren’t enough cycle lanes. More from Teresa Hansford here:
The Liberal Democrat candidate in Tonbridge is John Woollcombe. He is a qualified barrister who says he would bring skills of rigour and competence to being the town’s MP.
John Woollcombe warns that both the Conservatives and Labour have what he called “extreme” elements in their wings.
He pointed to the “disastrous right wing” Liz Truss mini-budget and argued that “we could see the same with Labour because Kier Starmer is speaking a very different language from the language he spoke when he was trying to appease Jeremy Corbyn’s supporters. At any point we could be threatened by those elements.”
John Woollcombe (pictured below) says the Lib Dem manifesto: “is about providing the public services that people need and the care and social care – and improving the standard of living.” He says the Lib Dems would hire more GPs and make conditions better for those doctors already working in the NHS.
John Woollcombe says he is concerned by increased noise from Gatwick expansion, but doesn’t rule out supporting a new runway. He told us: “It is not about opposing it. It is about the timing of it and about exactly how it is going to be implemented and whether there are any benefits for local communities.”
John Woollcombe told us the Lib Dems wanted to “rebuild our relationship with Europe, align professional standards and rejoin the Erasmus scheme (for students in the EU).”
He says the immigration issue has been put forward as a “distraction” from the ageing population that is putting increased pressure on the health system. To understand more about John Woollcombe’s views watch here:
West Kent Radio next spoke to the SDP candidate, Ian Grattidge, who told us he was a career accountant – mainly in the civil service – and has also worked in the charity sector. The SDP promises to nationalise the railways and utility companies. The party also wants to abandon Carbon emission reduction targets. Ian Grattidge was neutral on Gatwick expansion plans.
Also standing in Tonbridge is the Labour candidate, Lewis Bailey, and the representative of the Independent Alliance (Kent), Tim Shaw. Neither Labour or the Independent Alliance (Kent) accepted opportunities to be interviewed for West Kent Radio.
The West Kent Radio website has a special Election page allowing you to listen to in depth interviews with most of the candidates:
https://www.westkentradio.co.uk/news/election-24/
The radio page includes a recording of students from the Judd School with 5 minutes of their thoughts on the main election issues.
For lovers of podcasts, you can also listen to candidates in the Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells constituencies by listening to the latest episode of the podcast, WEST KENT TALKING, which is available on Apple podcasts and other podcast apps.
