Questions and answers
- What is a community governance review?
- What prompted this review?
- What is a town council?
- What can a town council do?
- How long does a community governance review take?
- What issues will the review look into?
- How will it be decided whether to create a town council?
- Who pays for a town council?
- How much will a town council cost?
- What would be the impact on the ‘special expenses’ element in current council tax bills?
- Would a new town council cost more overall than the current arrangements?
- Do businesses have to pay the precept?
- How many town or parish councillors would there be?
- Is the case for a town council in Tonbridge made stronger by the government’s proposals for local government reorganisation?
What is a community governance review?
A community governance review (CGR) is a formal legal process that enables changes to local governance arrangements. For example, this may involve creating, merging or abolishing parish or town councils in the review area.
This review considers the case for creating a town council in Tonbridge and is being carried out by Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council.
A six-week consultation to inform the review opened on 2 June 2025.
What prompted this review?
At a meeting of full council on 18 February 2025, members voted to support two separate motions to start a community governance review into the creation of a town council in Tonbridge.
A petition calling for the local authority to undertake a community governance review was also submitted on 20 February 2025. On 12 March 2025, the borough council confirmed that the petition was valid.
What is a town council?
A town council is an elected body made up of local people representing the interests of their community and has the same powers as a parish council.
It works with the existing local borough council and Kent County Council. In future it would work with the new unitary council proposed by government.
What can a town council do?
Town councils can provide a range of local services, such as allotments, open spaces, community schemes and support for tourism. They can also represent the interests of the community on a range of local matters.
Town councils have the power to raise money through the local council tax.
Read more about the role of town and parish councils from the National Association of Local Councils.
How long does a community governance review take?
Legislation requires community governance reviews to be completed within a year from receiving a valid petition or council motion asking for the review.
This means the Tonbridge review must be completed by 20 February 2026.
What issues will the review look into?
Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council is required to take into account the effectiveness of existing community governance arrangements in representing the interests of Tonbridge. The council will also consult the public and other stakeholders to obtain their views.
How will it be decided whether to create a town council?
A decision will be made by a meeting of all elected members of Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council. Councillors will draw on a range of evidence, including the results of public consultation, to make the decision.
Who pays for a town council?
The cost of a town council is met by local council tax payers and takes the form of a precept that is added to their council tax bills.
How much will a town council cost?
A town council would be responsible for raising the money it spends, including the cost of providing services, offices, staff and other overheads.
The town council elected members would set what is called a precept that is added to the council tax bills for households in the area defined by these proposals. This reflects the amount of money needed to pay for all its costs and services.
Taking into account the number of properties there are in the area, an extra council tax charge to fund town council activities would be calculated and added to the council tax bills for Tonbridge residents.
While the precept (and the resulting level of council tax) for a town council is not yet known, here are some examples of the current annual council tax charge at Band D in nearby areas:
- Snodland Town Council: £88.49 plus £4.57 borough council special expenses. Services include recreation and sports grounds, allotments, street lighting, festive lighting and a cemetery.
- Sevenoaks Town Council: £153.67 (no special expenses charged). Services include The Stag Community Arts Centre, allotments, open spaces, play and recreation areas, woodlands and a cemetery.
It will be for the elected members of a new town council to decide what local services, such as allotments or recreation grounds it provides, and the resulting precept that has to be added to council tax to pay for them.
Details of the types of services a town council may provide can be found on the National Association of Local Councils website.
What would be the impact on the ‘special expenses’ element in current council tax bills?
Tonbridge and Malling Borough council currently provides some of the services in Tonbridge that could be provided by a town council. An additional charge called special expenses is added to Tonbridge council tax bills to pay for them. The special expenses charge for 2025-2026 in Tonbridge is £77.65 for a band D home.
If the review concludes that a town council should be formed, some of these services may be transferred over time to the new body if Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council or any subsequent council agrees to it. The new town council would then add an additional charge (known as a precept) to council tax bills to pay for them plus the costs of the town council’s overheads. Unlike a borough council, a town council is not currently restricted in the levels of precept it sets.
Borough council special expenses would continue but the level would be adjusted to reflect any transfer assets or responsibilities to the new town council.
There would be an overall increased cost to Tonbridge council tax payers arising from the additional overheads and any extra services the town council chose to deliver.
Would a new town council cost more overall than the current arrangements?
Yes, whatever services that a new town council decides to deliver, it will have to fund the cost associated with its own elected members, paid employees, and the costs associated with occupying an administrative base. Additional costs may arise from the specific services the town council decides to deliver, although some of this may be offset by income from any fees and charges that they set.
Do businesses have to pay the precept?
No, businesses are subject to business rates, which are calculated separately from council tax.
How many town or parish councillors would there be?
National guidance recommends that for an area the size of Tonbridge the number of town councillors should be between 13 and 27.
Is the case for a town council in Tonbridge made stronger by the government’s proposals for local government reorganisation?
The government is proposing to replace borough, district, county and smaller unitary councils, with new, larger unitary authorities. In this part of the country the government is proposing that these new arrangements are established in April 2028.
These new unitary councils will operate over a larger geography than existing borough and district councils. A town council may therefore be seen to offer a more locally focused and responsive part of local government under these proposed arrangements.