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Local Government Transparency Code


The local government transparency code sets out key principles for local authorities in creating greater transparency through the publication of open data.

The data on this page and across the website is published under the Open Government Licence. This is a free open licence for public sector bodies to licence the use and re-use of information and data easily. If you are intending to use any of our data please note the conditions of the licence.

Contents

Payments over £250

Our transparency on spend page publishes items of spending over £500 since April 2010 and items of spending over £250 from June 2012.

Government procurement card transactions

Our transparency on spend page publishes items of spending on procurement cards.

Procurement information

The Kent Business Portal provides details of the contracts awarded by Tunbridge Wells Borough Council and our tenders and procurement pages hold information about our tenders and contracts.

Local authority land

As part of the requirement to make our data open and transparent, we publish a list of our land and property assets.

Our operational and non-operational asset lists can be downloaded below, and these include the following information:

  • unique property reference number
  • unique asset identity
  • address of building/land or both
  • map reference (easting/northing)
  • property tenure type
  • tenure details
  • holding type

File 15.5 KB

Social housing asset value

Tunbridge Wells Borough Council does not own any social housing assets.

Grants to voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations

Our transparency on spend page holds data relating to grants to voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations.

Organisation chart

Chief Executive (Head of Paid Service)
Name:William Benson
Department:Chief Executive
Contract:Permanent
Grade:CEX
Salary Bracket: £145,000-£149,999
Budget:£16,627,170
Email:william.benson@tunbridgewells.gov.uk
  • Director of Change and Communities
    Name:Paul Taylor
    Department:Change and Communities
    Contract:Permanent
    Grade:DIR
    Salary Bracket:£105,000 - £109,999
    Budget:£12,067,580
    Email:paul.taylor@tunbridgewells.gov.uk
    • Head of Housing, Health and Environment
      Name:Gary Stevenson
      Department:Housing, Health and Environment
      Contract:Permanent
      Grade:SM1
      Salary Bracket:£90,000 - £94,999
      Budget: £6,488,610
      Email: gary.stevenson@tunbridgewells.gov.uk
    • Head of HR, Customer Service and Culture
      Name:Vacant
      Department:HR, Customer Service and Culture
      Contract:Permanent
      Grade:SM1
      Salary Bracket:£85,000 to £89,999
      Budget: £2,651,780
      Email:
    • Head of Digital Services and Communications
      Name:Ian Hirst
      Department:Digital Services and Communications
      Contract:Permanent
      Grade:SM2
      Salary Bracket:£75,000 - £79,999
      Budget: £933,910
      Email: ian.hirst@tunbridgewells.gov.uk
    • Head of Facilities and Community Hubs
      Name:Denise Haylett
      Department:Facilities and Community Hubs
      Contract:Permanent
      Grade:SM3
      Salary Bracket:£70,000 - £74,999
      Budget: £1,847,570
      Email: denise.haylett@tunbridgewells.gov.uk
  • Director of Finance Policy and Development (S151 Officer)
    Name:Lee Colyer
    Department:Finance, Policy and Development
    Contract:Permanent
    Grade:DIR
    Salary Bracket: £115,000 - £119,999
    Budget:£4,360,230
    Email:lee.colyver@tunbridgewells.gov.uk
    • Head of Economic Development and Property
      Name:David Candlin
      Department:Economic Development and Property
      Contract:Permanent
      Grade:SM1
      Salary Bracket: £90,000-£94,999
      Budget: £323,080
      Email: david.candlin@tunbridgewells.gov.uk
    • Head of Planning
      Name:Carlos Hone
      Department:Planning
      Contract:Permanent
      Grade:SM1
      Salary Bracket:: £80,000 - £84,999
      Budget: £1,225,890
      Email:carlos.hone@tunbridgewells.gov.uk
    • Head of Finance, Procurement and Parking
      Name:Jane Fineman
      Department:Finance, Procurement and Parking
      Contract:Permanent
      Grade:SM1
      Salary Bracket: £95,000 - £99,999
      Budget: £1,163,810
      Email: jane.fineman@tunbridgewells.gov.uk
    • Head of Governance and Democratic Services
      Name:Andy Sturtivant
      Department:Governance and Democratic Services
      Contract:Permanent
      Grade:SM3
      Salary Bracket:£60,000 - £64,999
      Budget: £1,289,140
      Email: andy.sturtivant@tunbridgewells.gov.uk

Trade Union facility time

Information for 2023/24

Transparency Code 2015 Part 2.2 Paragraph 45
Total number (absolute number and full time equivalent) of staff who are union representatives (including general, learning and health and safety representatives) 4.34
Total number (absolute number and full time equivalent) of union representatives who devote at least 50 per cent of their time to union duties 0
Names of all trade unions represented in the local authority UNISON
A basic estimate of spending on unions (calculated as the number of full-time equivalent days spent on union duties multiplied by the average salary) £2,149.43
A basic estimate of spending on unions as a percentage of the total pay bill (calculated as the number of full-time equivalent days spent on union duties multiplied by the average salary divided by the total pay bill) 0.00%

Parking spaces and account

Information for 2023/24

Spaces

  • on-street residents parking spaces: 3,266
  • on-street miscellaneous spaces: 467
  • off-street chargeable spaces: 3,814
  • off-street free for disabled badge holders: 118

Accounts

Expenditure

Expenditure
Employee costs£1,169,824.22
Transport costs£10,679.93
Supplies and services£403,022.62
Central support service allocation£491,640.22
Capital charges£1,298,502.87
Premises costs£1,751,737.02
Total£5,125,406.88

Income

Income
On-street£422,680.88
Off-street£5,496,766.36
Penalty Charge Notices (PCN)£3,561,882.85
Total£9,481,330.09

Deficit/Surplus

Deficit/Surplus
Off Street surplus goes into the overall Council budget£2,376,872.23
On Street Surplus£1,979,050.98
TOTAL£4,355,923.21

Senior staff salaries

Senior staff are defined as including both statutory and non-statutory chief officers and their deputies.

Tunbridge Wells Borough Council has interpreted this as meaning the following roles:

  • Chief Executive (Head of the Paid Service)
  • Director of Shared MKS
  • Director of Change and Communities and
  • Director of Finance and Corporate Services
  • eight Heads of Service

The Head of Legal Services and the Deputy Monitoring Officer are Partnership employees employed by Swale Borough Council and therefore information regarding their pay is published by Swale Borough Council.

Senior salaries information is published on our transparency on spend page.

Constitution

The Tunbridge Wells Borough Council's constitution sets out how the Council operates, how decisions are made and the procedures which are followed to ensure that these are efficient, transparent and accountable to local people. Some of these processes are required by the law, while others are a matter for the Council to choose.

Pay policy statement and pay multiple

The following information regarding the pay multiplier is contained within the pay policy statement for 2023/24:

Tunbridge Wells Borough Council has calculated the mean and median salaries of its staff, and the ratios between those and the highest paid member of staff as follows:

  • Mean Salary 2023/24 = £35,886
  • Median Salary 2023/24 = £31,647
  • Chief Executive as a ratio to Mean Salary = 3.99
  • Chief Executive as a ratio to Median Salary = 4.53
  • Chief Executive as a ratio to Grade C 100% Salary = 6.60

This Council believes that, as a general principle, the Chief Executive’s salary should be no more than ten times that of the lowest paid member of staff.

Fraud

2023-2024 Counter Fraud work

Transparency Code 2015 Part 2.2 Section 53ResponseAdditional Information
Number of occasions they use powers under The Prevention of Social Housing Fraud (Power to require information (England) Regulations 2014 or similar Powers) 0

Tunbridge Wells Borough Council does not own housing stock. However, the Housing team will investigate possible fraud regarding housing applications.

Total number (absolute and full time equivalent) of employees undertaking investigations and prosecutions of fraud 1.5 The team is made up of Compliance and Fraud officers. The Compliance officers investigate cases that involve Council Tax Discounts and exemptions and Non-domestic rates.  The Fraud Officer joint works with the DWP and will also investigate Housing benefit where there is also Council Tax Support in payment.
Total number (absolute and full time equivalent) of professionally accredited counter fraud specialists 1.5  
Total amount spent by the authority on the investigations and prosecution of fraud £19,772.00Total cost of team is £222,387.00. However, Kent County Council funding is £151,328 and the three councils share the remaining cost. The actual cost to Tunbridge Wells was £19,772.00.
Total number of fraud cases investigated 38 This figure represents all the alleged fraud cases investigated for Tunbridge Wells only.  The team look at many other cases where Single Person Discount is investigated, as well as other data sets being matched and then Council Tax/Business Rates/or other Exemptions/Discounts are reviewed.  We also work jointly with the DWP on Housing.