"When the poison of the far-right leads to serious threats to Jess Phillips and others, then in my book a line has been crossed" PM Keir Starmer responds to Elon Musk's attack on the UK government's response to grooming gangs Follow live: https://t.co/OXYEAVJA6r

Thank goodness. Cllrs need protecting.

@zerohour_uk Thankfully, their attempt to weaken the council’s commitment to net zero failed thanks to opposition parties strongly coming together & 2 Lib Dem Cllrs breaking ranks. I’m grateful to the support of other Councillors in doing this. Let’s double down on our efforts instead.

So the latest Lib Dem debacle that saw them oppose a motion in support of a Bill their own party supports is part of a concerning pattern I’d urge them to reverse. Our planet can’t wait. You can find out more about the Climate & Nature Bill at @zerohour_uk

1st the Portfolios for environment & sustainability have been put together to be managed by one person. This must dilute focus. Then, as the TW Green Alliance have said, their new Strategic Plan had a weaker focus on climate than the previous version.

Are the Lib Dem’s making this mistake in good faith, like they say? I hope so. I’d give them the benefit of the doubt except this latest move is part of a pattern of weakening focus on climate & nature since they took control of the council in May this year.

Sometimes you have to do hard and uncomfortable things because you have no choice, & acting on climate & nature to pass on a liveable planet to the next generation is inescapable. Better an ambitious target you nearly achieve than a word salad fumble that lets you off the hook.

These are valid points, but hardly news. Decarbonisation was always going to be challenging & expensive- but, crucially, global warming, changing weather, and mass extinctions in nature will be more challenging & expensive than figuring out when & how to replace gas boilers.

What were the Lib Dem administration’s reasons? They said they wanted to be honest with the public. They said that net zero by 2030 is impossible because decarbonisation is expensive, & replacing gas boilers before the end of their life might cause more, not less, waste.

Instead the portfolio holder for Environment & Sustainability asked to change the wording from ‘net zero by 2030’ to ‘as soon as is reasonably possible’ a vague phrasing that would compromise the council’s longstanding commitment to the environment. Shocking.

The motion I brought to Full Council is a simple one - it’s primary purpose was to add our support to The Climate and Nature Bill, but it also reaffirmed a council commitment to climate action that has been a touchstone of our thinking since 2019. I didn’t foresee a problem.

Why did Lib Dems in Tunbridge Wells this week vote against a motion supporting the Climate & Nature Bill being brought to parliament by one of their own MPs, & worse than that, try to force through a weakening of the council’s own commitment to net zero at the same time? 🧵 1.

Thank you - as always - for all your significant support since we started.

@Rusthallred @jayne_sharratt @KentPoliceTWell @twbc Great job, Jayne. Thank you so much for organising. #16DaysOfActivism #EndVAWG

Thank you! Couldn’t do it without the community coming together, especially @SITWD & Tunbridge Wells Women’s Rugby Team.

Reclaim the Night walk is Monday 25 November at 7.30pm to highlight concern about safety on the streets at night. Listen to @jayne_sharratt talking to @WestKentRadio Jayne explains it's a "fun" walk starting at both St John's & Rusthall going to Pantiles.

Thanks for the support @WestKentRadio - it was great to chat about why we Reclaim the Night ahead of tonight's Walk.

Langton Green's U7 girls football team 'The Starlings' is going from strength to strength. They now have over 14 regular players and interest in continuing to grow. If anyone in the village has a girl raring to get involved, contact the coach David Ling on david.lgfc@outlook.com

I don't think I'll post here anymore - or even look very often. It's sad, because there are lovely people still here. I'm on Instagram @villagestories_tw and if you need to contact me my details are on the TWBC website or any issue of Rusthall Life or Langton Life.

Pretty bleak assessment here - that Violence Against Women and Girls offences are getting worse because perpetrators know they can get away with it. https://t.co/OueqJCFYkS