Suzie Wakeman
Paddock Wood East

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Suzie Wakeman was elected in May 2022. Her focus has been on the major housing developments in Paddock Wood, meeting with residents to discuss their concerns and dealing with developer breaches. She has also been working hard to ensure the one-hour of free parking stays in place in both the Paddock Wood car parks as it is vitally important to the town.

Suzie sits on the following committees:

• Licensing Committee

• Full Council

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Steve McMillan
Brenchley & Horsmonden

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Steve McMillan won his ward seat in the May 2022 Borough Council election. Steve has been actively involved with Speedwatch and the concerns of residents over traffic issues. He has been lobbying KCC regularly to deal with residents’ concerns. Steve is an active member of the committees and Cabinet Advisory Boards and as valued Councillor has accepted the invitation to support the Planning portfolio and their Champion.

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Steve sits on the following committees:

• Audit and Governance Committee

• Finance and Governance Cabinet Advisory Board

• Full Council

• Planning and Transportation Cabinet Advisory Board

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Ellen Neville
Hawkhurst & Sandhurst

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Since her election win in May 2022, Ellen Neville has continued her popular activities in the community and has been pivotal in saving the local school bus routes to Homewood. She is progressing with plans to tackle traffic and air pollution in her ward and steering Hawkhurst’s Neighbourhood Development Plan to reflect the wishes of the village. The Hawkhurst Community Fridge is Ellen’s brainchild which she aims to roll out to every ward in the borough. Only one year into her first term, Ellen was asked to join Cabinet in May 2023.

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Ellen sits on the following committees:

• Appeals Committee (Vice-Chair)

• Cabinet Member for Environmental Services

• Full Council

• Planning Committee

• Community Support Fund

• Assistant Deputy Leader of The Alliance party

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Nancy Warne
Benenden & Cranbrook

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Nancy Warne was born and lives in Cranbrook and works in Natural England’s Sustainable Development team as a Conservation and Planning Lead Adviser. Nancy is in her second term on TWBC, having been re-elected in 2023.

During her 6 years as a parish councillor she worked tirelessly to ensure that the needs of local residents and businesses are met through the Neighbourhood Development Plan. As Deputy Leader of TWBC and cabinet member for rural communities she is committed to enabling their voices to be heard in the Town Hall.

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Nancy sits on the following committees:

• Deputy Leader Tunbridge Wells Borough Council

• Cabinet Member for Communities

• Climate Emergency Advisory Panel (Chair)

• Communities and Economic Development Cabinet Advisory Board (Chair)

• Full Council

• Deputy Leader of The Alliance party​

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Nicholas Pope
Park, Tunbridge Wells

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Nick Pope is in his second term on the borough council having been re-elected in 2022. He has recently been voted by council members to become our Deputy Mayor.

Nick has worked to save the 285 bus that runs between Hawkenbury and Tunbridge Wells, is currently recruiting volunteers to start a Community Speedwatch group, and has been working to support small and independent businesses in the town centre.

Nick grew up in Lamberhurst, moved away for 25 years, returning to live in Tunbridge Wells in 2010. He has been involved in a number of initiatives in the town since 2012. He has been involved in the Friends of Calverley Grounds since it was founded and became chairman in 2016, stepping down after becoming a councillor. He is involved in and supports grassroots projects and independent businesses in the town and borough.

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Nick was elected in May 2018 and sits on the following committees:

• Chairman and Leader of The Alliance Party

• Constitution Review Working Party

• Full Council (Deputy Mayor)

• General Purposes Committee

• Housing Advisory Panel

• Overview and Scrutiny Committee

• Planning and Transportation Cabinet Advisory Board (Vice-Chair)

• Planning Committee

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David Knight
Goudhurst & Lamberhurst

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David Knight moved to Goudhurst from Tunbridge Wells in 1999 with his wife to raise their two children in the Kent countryside.

He still works locally at the business he founded in 1987 and he is committed to providing a more effective, independent, representation for our villages at Tunbridge Wells Borough Council. He also sits on the Goudhurst Parish Council and is currently deputy chair of both the Business & Communications and the Youth & Housing committees and sits on the Policy & Staffing committee. He is also a trustee of Kilndown Village Hall, Quarry Centre and The Millenium Green where he represents Goudhurst Parish Council.

David has been working for last few years on bringing gigabit fibre broadband to nearly 900 households in the ward using the Government’s Community Fibre Partnership scheme. David’s passion for our rural communities has seen him become the Champion of Rural Communities under Nancy Warne’s portfolio.

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David was elected in May 2021 and sits on the following committees:

• Finance and Governance Cabinet Advisory Board

• Full Council

• General Purposes Committee

• Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Vice-Chair)

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Matthew Sankey
Speldhurst & Bidborough

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Matthew Sankey lives with his wife and two children in Speldhurst.

Matthew is already in his 2nd term having won a by-election in November 2021 and then successfully being re-elected in May 2022 with 65% of the vote, the biggest turnout in the borough. Like many other Alliance councillors, Matthew has been working hard to save the local bus routes which saw the 230 school service saved from extinction. He is working alongside cabinet members in the role of Small Business Champion, where he is helping transform the relationship between the local authority and the local business community.

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Matthew sits on the following committees:

• Group Leader of The Alliance Party

• Audit and Governance Committee

• Finance and Governance Cabinet Advisory Board (Vice-Chair)

• Full Council

• Investigating and Disciplinary Committee (Speldhurst and Bidborough ward)

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Siobhan O’Connell
Park

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Siobhan O’Connell was elected in 2023. For a long time, Siobhan could see problems but didn’t know what could be done about them. But then I heard of a project – Calverley Square – to build new council offices and a theatre on the edge of Calverley Grounds. The more I heard, the more I became concerned. Costs were escalating and the theatre design seemed outdated and inflexible. That got me taking a keen interest in TWBC and my conclusion was that residents were having little say in council decisions. I thought that needed to change but as someone without a fixed allegiance to a national political party it was difficult to see what I could do. So I was delighted to see our local, independent party the Alliance win seats on TWBC. I am now standing for them and would the love the opportunity to represent the residents of Park Ward.

I’m already involved in various local community groups, being Secretary of the Friends of Hawkenbury Rec, Treasurer for a local WI, webmaster for Tunbridge Wells u3a and a volunteer for a church welfare group. I’m quite a determined person and I hope to bring that energy to TWBC, if I am fortunate enough to be elected.

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Siobhan sits on the following committees:

• Full Council

• Joint Transportation Board

• Planning and Transportation Cabinet Advisory Board

• Planning Committee

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Alison Webster
Goudhurst & Lamberhurst

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Alison Webster was elected in 2023. She has lived in Goudhurst for over 20 years with her children and grandchildren being educated here, she works at Tunbridge Wells Hospital as a Care Support worker.
During lockdown she trained as a vaccinator and worked at Headcorn Aerodrome, vaccinating up to 250 people a day.
She is Secretary of the popular Goudhurst Ex Servicemen’s Club and a Parish councillor sitting on Planning, Amenities, Business and Communications, Highways and Youth and Housing.
When the Ukrainian war started she had guests and, with a friend, set up the Goudhurst For Ukraine support group which is still going strong today.
Lately Alison has worked on the Goudhurst Warm Spaces initiative with local businesses, providing a Warm Space 6 days out of 7. She is a social member at Lamberhurst Golf Club a very bad Golfer, helps at Lower Ladysden Farm and is very interested in the Special Needs education system having fought to get her son and granddaughter an EHCP.

Alison sits on the following committees:

• Communities and Economic Development Cabinet Advisory Board

• Full Council

• Licensing Committee (Vice-Chair)

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Paul Curry
Speldhurst & Bidborough

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Paul Curry was elected in 2023. He is also the Chair of Speldhurst Parish Council and works as a Software Engineer for a major online publisher, with extensive experience in the consumer connectivity and media industries. He enjoys less-usual travel and experiences; he has toured Chernobyl twice, climbed a wind turbine, trained how to survive at sea, sunk in the Navy’s sinking ship simulator and once had his potatoes stolen, causing a minor media event.

Raised in Brighton, Paul moved to Speldhurst in 2015 and is actively seeking to improve the infrastructure in the area by bringing gigabit fibre connectivity to the surrounding area. He enjoys planning and executing projects which have a wide-scale impact for the community, but also getting hands-on in directly mending things like gates and fences where possible.

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Paul sits on the following committees:

• Full Council