Residents are invited to a public meeting to find out more about the creation of a new town council.

The meeting is being organised by the Tonbridge Town Council Campaign (TTCC) and will be at the Angel Centre in Tonbridge on June 24, starting at 7.30pm.

TTCC believes residents in the centre of Tonbridge should have their own town council to bring them in line with communities in the rest of the borough, who already have either a parish or town council to represent them.

They argue that the “democratic deficit” will become even more acute after the government’s imminent local government reorganisation, which will abolish the borough council and so mean that Tonbridge residents’ first level of representation will be at a new unitary authority level, where the divisions are likely to be two to three times as large as existing borough council wards - and the councillors therefore more remote from day-to-day issues.

Tonbridge and Malling council is prepared to create a new town council - if there is sufficient support for such a move.

The borough has launched a public consultation on the issue, which can be accessed here.

Responses are required by July 14.

The TTCC meeting will have a panel of speakers, including members from neighbouring town and parish councils, to explain how a town council could work.

Tonbridge has not had its own town council since 1974, when the authority which had been established since 1894, was abolished - along with rural district councils - in the local government reorganisation that led to the creation of borough councils.

The exact form of the new local government reorganisation is yet to be decided, but it is likely that Tonbridge and Malling will become part of a much larger council to include Tunbridge Wells, Sevenoaks and Maidstone.

Campaigner Jeremy Young said: “This is one good reason why Tonbridge residents need a council to meet our needs and deliver services directly, with decisions made locally by people who live or work in our town.”

“Any resident can be elected as a councillor. They work as volunteers for the good of the town and don’t need to belong to a political party.”

Dr Young turned aside suggestions that a new council would be yet another expense for council tax payers.

He said: “Estimates suggest that a minimally run town council should cost only £10 to £20 a year per household.

“Tonbridge residents are already paying the borough council Special Expenses of £77.65 each for the services usually provided by a town or parish council.

“The key thing to remember is that as more services are delivered by a town council, the precept paid by residents to fund a town council will increase but the special expenses should reduce.”

“TMBC has said it would expect to keep ownership and management of the sports grounds and open spaces. We would expect that the remaining items – local events, allotments, closed churchyards and public conveniences would be taken over by the town council.”

The new council would serve around 16,000 households and would have between 13 and 27 councillors.

Dr Young said: “Many people think this small cost is worth it, because a town council can support Tonbridge, consider business interests in the town, and create projects to suit local needs”.

“Interesting initiatives by town councils elsewhere include a ‘shared goods service’ where locals can borrow items like lawnmowers or tools, an online service to book local community spaces, and ‘participatory budgeting’ where a community decides the allocation of the council’s budget”.

You can visit the Tonbridge Town Council Campaign web page here.

Details of the campaign can be also be found on their website here.

Members of the group will also be manning stalls at local events to raise awareness of the campaign.

Dr Young said: “Many people think it’s better if Tonbridge’s amenities are run by Tonbridge people for Tonbridge people in any case, rather than being managed by a council in Kings Hill.

“Both Tunbridge Wells Borough Council and Maidstone Borough Council are also conducting Community Governance Reviews to prepare for new town councils.

“Tunbridge Wells is consulting its residents from September 22 and Maidstone from July 22.”

Dr Young said: “If they both resolve to create town councils for their principal towns, and Tonbridge and Malling does not, our town would be the only town or village in any new West Kent Unitary Authority without its own council.”

He urged residents to respond to the borough’s survey.

He said: “It is incredibly important that TMBC gets the biggest possible sample for its consultation and that residents are clear that they want to see truly local democracy restored here."