Created in the 2023 boundary review, replacing Wells.
LD took this seat from Con after 4 consecutive elections.
MP News Approval i
+66
Mike Martin
Liberal DemocratsMike Martin is the Liberal Democrat MP for Tunbridge Wells, and has been an MP continually since 4 July 2024.
MPs voted on whether to reject a Lords amendment on AI and copyright, replacing it with the government's own alternative commitments. The Lords had pushed for stronger protections for copyright holders whose work is used to train AI models; the government proposed softer commitments including a statement and a draft Bill in lieu, while resisting a firm legislative timeline demanded by the creative industries.
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Sign up freeCoverage of Tunbridge Wells has been predominantly positive for Mike across 40 recent articles.
Positive coverage
“Water firm should use £22m fine for upgrade, says MP” — Kent Live
“Women's charity welcomes Government's £5million investment in pilots to support domestic abuse victims” — Sussex Express
Represented by LD since 2024. Covers Royal Tunbridge Wells, Southborough and Paddock Wood. Population 107,745.
South East Water delivers upgrades after winter supply failures
BBC · 9 Apr 2026
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Sign up freeMedian Income▼
£31,400
per year (HMRC 2022-23)
Mean Income▼
£55,100
per year (HMRC 2022-23)
Businesses▼
5,575
VAT/PAYE registered (ONS 2024)
Schools▼
46
27 primary, 7 secondary, 12 other
Total Income Tax▼
£716m
from 57,000 taxpayers
Median Tax▼
£3,290
per taxpayer / year
Mean Tax
£12,500
per taxpayer / year
Source: HMRC Survey of Personal Incomes, tax year 2022-23. Allocated by taxpayer residence. Covers income tax only — excludes NI, VAT, and capital gains. Sample-based estimate (~8% confidence interval).
Attainment 8▼
53.2
average score (DfE)
GCSE Pass Rate▼
77.6%
5+ GCSEs 9-4 (DfE)
1 large town, 5 towns, 7 villages, rural areas — 105,422 total population
Source: ONS Built-Up Areas (Census 2021) + data.police.uk — crime rates are per 1,000 population (last 3 months)
Source: data.police.uk — street-level crime data aggregated from LSOA to constituency
19 councillors across 7 wards · Last elections: May 2024
| Ward | Party | Councillor | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|
| High Brooms | Labour Party | Dianne Hill | May 2024 |
| Paddock Wood | Liberal Democrats | Adrian Pitts | May 2024 |
| Liberal Democrats | Don Kent | May 2024 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Mark Gavin Munday | May 2024 | |
| Pantiles | Liberal Democrats | Christopher John Hall | May 2024 |
| Liberal Democrats | Jamie Johnson | May 2024 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Pamela Jean Wilkinson | May 2024 | |
| Pembury Capel | Liberal Democrats | Astra Margarita Birch | May 2024 |
| Independents for Tunbridge Wells | David Donald Hayward | May 2024 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Hugh Patterson | May 2024 | |
| Rural Tunbridge Wells | Tunbridge Wells Alliance | David Knight | May 2024 |
| Conservative and Unionist Party | Lynne Marie Darrah | May 2024 | |
| Conservative and Unionist Party | Thomas Neil William Mobbs | May 2024 | |
| Rusthall Speldhurst | Labour Party | Alex Britcher-Allan | May 2024 |
| Labour Party | Jayne Angharad Sharratt | May 2024 | |
| Tunbridge Wells Alliance | Matthew Sankey | May 2024 | |
| Southborough Bidborough | Liberal Democrats | Brendon Le Page | May 2024 |
| Liberal Democrats | Joe Opara | May 2024 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Mark Strafford Ellis | May 2024 |
Source: DCLEAPIL v1.0 by Jason Leman, LEAP (Andrew Teale) & Democracy Club. CC BY-SA 4.0. Data last refreshed: 1 Apr 2026.
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| LD | 23,661 | 43.6% | |
| Con | 14,974 | 27.6% | |
| Ref | 6,484 | 11.9% | |
| Lab | 6,178 | 11.4% | |
| Green | 2,344 | 4.3% | |
| Ind | 609 | 1.1% |
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Con | 30,119 | 55.1% | |
| LD | 15,474 | 28.3% | |
| Lab | 8,098 | 14.8% | |
| Ind | 488 | 0.9% | |
| Ind | 471 | 0.9% |
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
✓ Won 2015 GEWon 2010 GE | Con | 30,856 | 56.9% |
| Lab | 14,391 | 26.6% | |
| LD | 5,355 | 9.9% | |
| Ind | 1,464 | 2.7% | |
| Green | 1,441 | 2.7% | |
| Ind | 702 | 1.3% |
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
✓ Won 2017 GEWon 2010 GE | Con | 30,181 | 58.7% |
| Lab | 7,307 | 14.2% | |
| Ind | 6,481 | 12.6% | |
Won 2024 GE | LD | 4,342 | 8.4% |
| Green | 2,659 | 5.2% | |
| Ind | 458 | 0.9% |
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
✓ Won 2017 GEWon 2015 GE | Con | 28,302 | 56.2% |
| LD | 12,726 | 25.3% | |
| Lab | 5,448 | 10.8% | |
| Ind | 2,054 | 4.1% | |
| Green | 914 | 1.8% | |
| Ind | 704 | 1.4% | |
| Ind | 172 | 0.3% |
Mike Martin appeared in 1 national article across 1 topic (14 Apr 2026 – 14 Apr 2026)
Positive (+0.50)Ranked #120 of 286 MPs mentioned in national coverage
Vocally criticized SEW leadership's performance as 'pathetic' and questioned board competence, effectively defending constituent interests during crisis.
24 articles hidden as not sufficiently relevant to this constituency
South East Water has completed critical infrastructure upgrades in Pembury and Tonbridge following winter supply failures that affected thousands of customers across Kent and Sussex. The upgrades, including new filters and pipeline work, are specifically designed to improve water supply resilience for over 24,000 households in Tunbridge Wells and surrounding areas.
A food reviewer visits Roddy Burger on Camden Road in Tunbridge Wells to try The Gazza, a burger that has been nominated for UK burger awards. Despite operational issues (broken fryer, vegan menu confusion) and underwhelming sides, the reviewer praises the burger itself as exceptional and the best they've had in Kent.
Kirsty Waugh, an 11-year-old from Royal Tunbridge Wells, is fundraising for OSCAR's Paediatric Brain Tumour Charity after her own brain tumour diagnosis in November 2024. She is attempting to trace other people named Kirsty across the UK to raise awareness and funds for childhood brain tumour research.
A cocaine dealer was arrested in Tunbridge Wells after police discovered him attempting to destroy evidence during a drug raid. Sabinson Selimaj was sentenced to two years and four months imprisonment for possession with intent to supply cocaine and possession of criminal property.
Dorothy Leaney from Ditton spent months fighting Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust to be reimbursed for her husband's bespoke £500 insoles lost by hospital staff during his discharge. Only after KentOnline's intervention did she receive payment, though she remains frustrated by the trust's slow response and continues to await medical records from her husband's October admission.
Black Sheep Coffee, which already operates a branch in Tunbridge Wells on Mount Pleasant Road, is expanding with at least 14 new stores across Kent. The expansion signals confidence in the county as a strong market for the specialty coffee chain.
M&S's Fountains Retail Park branch in Tunbridge Wells is reopening after a three-month closure with significant improvements including an expanded food hall, new bakery, coffee counter, and Click & Collect facility. The store will welcome customers back on April 8 following a major transformation.
The Tunbridge Wells Literary Festival is returning in May 2026 with over 150 artists and performers across 56 events at 10 venues throughout the town. The festival features star-studded guests including Gyles Brandreth, Davina McCall, and notably MP Mike Martin discussing Iain Dale's book on Thatcher.
Trevor Williams, founder of the Fox Project in Paddock Wood (Tunbridge Wells area), has transformed a small wildlife advocacy effort into a leading fox rescue sanctuary caring for around 1,500 animals annually across the south east. The article profiles his 35-year charity work, which provides rescue, treatment, and rehabilitation services for injured and orphaned foxes, with particular focus on cub season support and the impact of urban hazards on wildlife.
A three-day water outage affected over 5,800 properties across Brenchley, Matfield, Pembury, Lamberhurst and surrounding villages in Kent following a burst pipe at Bewl Water Treatment Works. The incident occurred amid ongoing regulatory scrutiny of South East Water, which faces an Ofwat investigation into repeated supply failures affecting tens of thousands of homes.
A new law criminalising sex-based harassment in public has become enforceable, with roots in Tunbridge Wells. The law was championed by former MP Greg Clark through a Private Members Bill, and current MP Mike Martin pushed for the additional legislation needed to bring it into force.
A burglar who stole watches, a diamond ring, and foreign currency from a home in Southborough, Kent was tracked down and arrested after being spotted in a neon t-shirt at a chip shop. James Wall, 20, from Bristol, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to two years' imprisonment, demonstrating effective local police work.
MP Mike Martin has called for South East Water to invest its £22 million Ofwat fine into upgrading Pembury Water Treatment Works rather than paying the regulator, following repeated water outages affecting 24,000 Tunbridge Wells residents. Martin has proposed a £44.2 million resilience plan for the facility and is urging the water company, its shareholders, and regulators to support the investment to prevent future outages.
A women's charity welcomes the Government's £5 million investment in domestic abuse support pilots, with the article highlighting how Tunbridge Wells' local SIGBI club drove legislative change on gender-based violence. Mike Martin, the current MP for Tunbridge Wells, intervened in Parliament to accelerate the commencement of the Protection from Sex-Based Harassment in Public Act, which is now set to come into force on 1 April 2026.
MP Mike Martin is calling for water company South East Water's £22.48m fine for supply failures to be scrapped in favour of a mandatory £44.2m investment plan to upgrade the Pembury Water Treatment Works, which serves over 50,000 Tunbridge Wells residents and represents a critical single point of failure in the local supply network. The works have caused multiple outages affecting nearly 300,000 people across Kent and Sussex since 2020.
KentOnline's Blue Badge Battle campaign, backed by all 18 Kent MPs including Tunbridge Wells MP Mike Martin, calls for KCC to introduce a discretionary parking scheme for people with serious short-term illnesses like cancer. Despite widespread council support and 2,200 petition signatures, KCC leader refuses, citing concerns about increased demand and parking pressure, though the Department for Transport has promised to update national guidance.
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