Southborough Town Council has moved to a temporary address to allow the progression of the Hub Development.

Until further notice our address will be

Southborough Town Council
c/o Tunbridge Wells Town Hall
Mount Pleasant Road
Tunbridge Wells
Kent TN1 1RS

All other contact details remain the same.

Pennington Grounds (Including the Public Toilets) and Frank Weare Recreation Ground are now closed.

This is necessary to ensure both social distancing and limit the spread of coronavirus due to the large amount of play/gym equipment contained within both.

Unfortunately the Tennis Courts located within Pennington Grounds cannot be isolated separately from the rest of the Grounds and for that reason will remain closed  following the release of the detailed Government advice issued on 11/05/20.

Please continue to use the Councils other Open spaces for your daily exercise whilst following the Governments guidelines during the current crisis. Thank you for your understanding.

Please see the following links for advice surrounding use of Allotments in the current crisis 

National Allotment Society 

Gardeners World.com

CANCELLATIONS

All Committee meetings – All face to face committee meetings cancelled until further notice. Virtual Meetings will be announced when arranged.

Southborough Town Council Elections – Thursday 7^th May 2020 – Deferred until May 2021

 Garden Waste Collections

 Tunbridge Wells Borough Council have advised the following:

“We can confirm that Urbaser are now in a position to restart the garden waste collection service for the partnership.

Collections will recommence based the existing collection schedules, which means that the service will restart in TMBC on 11 May and TWBC on 18 May.

The six core collection rounds will be supported by two additional crews during the first two collection cycles to help with the high volumes of garden waste that we know exist with all bins likely to be full.

We will not be collecting extra waste that is put out.  As this is likely to swamp the service in terms of volume and time to complete the rounds   Residents will be advised to hold on to this and put out in their bin over future collections.

Garden waste subscribers will be sent an email this week to confirm the restart and an extension to their current subscription to cover the missed weeks. A letter will be posted to the circa 5k residents that didn’t sign up with an email address. This should land on the door mats mid to end of next week.”

Residents may find the following links useful during the current crisis. Please see the links to Tunbridge Wells Borough Council. These links contain advice for local vulnerable residents, and where to report this for assistance.

www.tunbridgewells.gov.uk/find-and-contact-us/coronavirus

www.tunbridgewells.gov.uk/find-and-contact-us/coronavirus/volunteering

www.nhs.uk/coronavirus

The following  has been received from Tunbridge Wells Borough Council:

Do you need help?

A local helpline has been set up to support people who need urgent help, supplies or medication as a result of the Coronavirus. The number is 01892 554497. Please call this number now if you do not have friends, family or neighbours looking after you.

Dear Resident,

We are writing to let you know that advice and support is available if you need it. Please check the Council’s website at tunbridgewells.gov.uk for information on our services, for help and advice or to see how you can help others.

Help, Advice and Wellbeing

You can register for free Wellbeing calls for yourself or someone you know by calling 01892 554497. If you are struggling to cope and need more urgent help you can talk to someone on the 24-hour ‘Release the Pressure’ helpline on 0800 1070160, or you can call the Samaritans on 116 123.

For tips on how to look after your mental wellbeing during the outbreak you may like to visit the ‘Every Mind Matters’ website at nhs.uk/oneyou

Protect yourself against frauds and scams by email, text or in person, by visiting actionfraud.police.uk

Financial Advice

Please contact 01892 526121 if you are struggling with Council Tax payments or housing costs. If your income has reduced, contact the Department of Work and Pensions and ask about making a claim for Universal Credit on 0800 328 5644 or at gov.uk/universalcredit

Support and Advice for Businesses

There are a range of schemes to help businesses at businesssupport.gov.uk. There is also a business advice line run by the Kent and Medway Growth Hub on 03333 602 300.

If you believe you are eligible for support but have not been contacted by our Business Rates team, please email businessrates@midkent.gov.uk.

Coronavirus Advice

Advice on the symptoms, what to do if you think you have contracted the virus, and how you can help stop the spread is at gov.uk/coronavirus.

Significant breaches of the Government’s coronavirus measures can be reported at kent.police.uk. Please do not call 999 except in an emergency.

Community Fundraising

During this time charities and organisations across the borough need your support more than ever. You can help them by visiting tunbridgewells.gov.uk/fundraising

Council Services

We are working hard to keep Council services running but some are suspended or reduced due to prioritising key services. Full details can be found on our website.

Please look after yourselves and those you care about by following Government guidance and staying at home. Thank you for your continued support and understanding at this difficult time.

Cllr Alan McDermott, Leader of the Council

William Benson, Chief Executive

Cllr Ben Chapelard (Liberal Democrat Group Leader)

Cllr Dianne Hill (Labour Group Leader)

Cllr David Hayward (Tunbridge Wells Alliance Group Leader)