Environmental Initiative

Local Liberal Democrats say a tree planting scheme which was promised at the last local elections has got underway.

Over the winter months 3,000 trees will be planted in Tunbridge Wells, which is a small step towards the Liberal Democrat's election promise of planting 116,000 trees - that's one for each resident in the Borough.

(SEE CLARIFICATION NOTE BELOW - added 28th February 2025)

A spokesperson for the Liberal Democrat MP for Tunbridge Wells, Mike Martin, said the initiative was kicked off on Tuesday 10th December 2024 by Mike Martin and local Lib Dem councillors.  

But opposition councillors say that commentary on the event is misleading as the funding for last week's tree planting doesn't come from the Borough Council.

Labour Borough Councillor Hugo Pound told West Kent Radio: "This planting scheme is a Kent County Council initiative and nothing to do with the Tunbridge Wells Borough Council administration."

Hugo Pound (pictured below) continued: "The Liberal Democrat strategic plan is, as yet, uncosted, unresourced, not even presented to Full Council and definitely not approved. So Mike Martin and the Liberal Democrat councillors suggesting that it is their scheme is, frankly, untrue. All the funding for this tree planting initiative has nothing to do with this Council".

Meanwhile, the Conservative Borough Councillor Tom Mobbs said: “It is disappointing to see the Lib Dems try to claim credit for a fund run by the Conservative-run Kent County Council. Local councillors from all opposition parties challenged these claims at last week’s full council and we continue to pursue a correction from the Lib Dem leadership and the MP".

Tom Mobbs continued: "The Lib Dems promised to be open and transparent, this is much to the contrary."

The pledge to plant a tree for every resident in the Borough of Tunbridge Wells was part of the Tunbridge Wells Liberal Democrats’ successful local election campaign, which saw the party gain control of the Borough Council in May 2024.

According to the local Liberal Democrats, the first 3,000 trees will be planted in partnership with Kent High Weald through the Kent Plant Tree project with funding from the Local Authority Treescape Fund.

According to government websites, the Local Authority Treescape Fund is part of a £640 million central government "Nature for Climate Fund", which was launched by Boris Johnson's Conservative government in 2021.

(Update 19th December) West Kent Radio has contacted Kent County Council to establish whether this is indeed the first tree planting in Tunbridge Wells funded by the Local Authority Treescape Fund.

The County Council confirmed this was the first time Treescape Fund money has been channelled by them to Tunbridge Wells Borough Council for planting trees.

The County Council said though that the Treescape Fund has previously funded tree planting not involving TWBC at these sites in the Borough:

• In Round 2, Year 2 (2023/24), trees were planted at Aspens and The Lodge on Cornford Lane, Pembury.
• In Round 3, Year 1 (2023/24), trees were planted at St Marks C of E Primary School, St James C. E. (Aided) Primary School, and Temple Grove Academy.
• In Round 4, this portion of the funding was 'grant forwarded' to Tunbridge Wells Borough Council, who are providing the land and managing the project.

The trees will be planted in parks and existing nature conservation sites.

Local Liberal Democrat Councillors, pupils from St John’s Primary School Eco Club, and conservationists from Kent High Weald, together planted at least 100 disease resistant elm trees on the initiative's opening day in Grosvenor and Hilbert Park.

The Council also plans to plant thousands of more trees during next year’s planting season through community initiatives and local schemes and organisations.  

Mike Martin MP said: “It’s great to see local activists and community members taking seriously the health of our community and environment and I am delighted to witness this ambitious and important initiative take off."

From left: Cllr Astra Birch (Cabinet member for Housing and Communities); Cllr Rob Wormington (Cabinet member for Environment and sustainability); Cllr Matt Lowe (Cabinet member for Planning); Mike Martin MP (Tunbridge Wells); Cllr Tara Matthews (Park Ward) and Cllr Courtney Souper (St James' Ward)

The following tree-planting events are taking place across Tunbridge Wells:

Tuesday 10 December           Grosvenor & Hilbert Park from 10am

Tuesday 17 December           Grosvenor & Hilbert Park

Tuesday 7 January 2025        Hawkenbury Rec

Tuesday 14 January               Hawkenbury Rec

Tuesday 21 January               Hawkenbury Rec

Wednesday 22 January          Southwood Road

Tuesday 28 January               Nevill Upper Ground

Tuesday 4 February               Nevill Upper Ground

Tuesday 11 February              Nevill Upper Ground

Tuesday 25 February             Farncombe Road Open Space

Members of the community can get involved by emailing: rebecca.messenger@kent.gov.uk

NOTE FOR CLARIFICATION added 28th February 2025:

An earlier version of this story began with: "Tunbridge Wells Borough Council says a tree planting scheme which was promised at the last local elections has got underway." The source of this was a news release sent by a spokesperson for Mike Martin MP, apparently on behalf of the MP and five Liberal Democrat councillors, including 3 members of the Lib Dem cabinet. 

However, later information has clarified that this news release did not reflect information endorsed by the Borough Council itself, even though the Borough Council is run by the Liberal Democrat Party. 

On February 26th 2025, the Lib Dem leader of the council Ben Chapelard stated in answer to a question at Full Council:
"In terms of (what) the cost (is) to Tunbridge Wells Borough Council of planting approximately 3,000 trees, I have asked the question of officers but have not yet had a reply. Consequently I cannot tell you from which cost centre and budget line this expenditure has come from. But I am planning to write to you separately once I have had that reply."

Cllr Chapelard agreed that the council had issued information about the tree planting this winter in the latest council magazine distributed to all households. But that article (shown below) did not link the winter tree planting to the Liberal Democrats election pledges, unlike the news release about the tree planting (issued by local Liberal Democrats) which did.