Roadworks "Tsar"

Thursday, 3 July 2025 16:29

By Martin Webber

The Liberal Democrat MP for Tunbridge Wells, Mike Martin, says he's appointed a local councillor to tackle poorly co-ordinated roadworks in the town.

Mike Martin MP says his new "Roadworks Tsar" will be Cllr Martin Brice, who's the Lib Dem Kent County Councillor for Tunbridge Wells South.

A news release from the Lib Dems stated: "Cllr Brice will begin coordinating future roadworks with utility companies directly after Reform cancelled Kent County Council’s Environment and Transport Cabinet Committee meetings indefinitely. Scrutinising the planning and implementation of roadworks in Kent is supposed to be one of the committee’s functions."

The release continued: "The Tunbridge Wells Joint Transport Board was also set up to give Tunbridge Wells Borough Councillors a voice in local transport concerns. However, under the previous Conservative KCC administration, meetings were often non-quorate, because Conservative County Councillors wouldn’t attend, and Borough Councillors were kept out of the decision-making of non-emergency roadwork planning."

Mike Martin MP said: “Under the last County administration, the Tories ran the transport meetings but didn’t show up. Now Reform has cancelled them altogether.”

“I’m therefore really pleased to announce Cllr Martin Brice as the new Roadworks Tsar for Tunbridge Wells to tackle and organise planned roadworks directly with utility companies and do what KCC won’t.”

Kent County Council has been approached for comment.