A council ward is set to be renamed.

Following a Maidstone council decision, Barming will now be known as Barming and Teston.

The new name was approved by a vote of the full council, but the change is entirely cosmetic as the ward will still include the same area as before.

It will continue to be represented by Cllr Fay Gooch, independent. She was behind a successful campaign to persuade Maidstone Borough Council to change the name.

Her ward includes both Barming with its 720 homes, and Teston, approximately 1.5 miles away, with its 300 homes.

Cllr Gooch, who lives in Barming, said: “I’m delighted. Although Teston’s closest neighbour is Wateringbury, which is in Tonbridge and Malling Borough, Teston is just as much part of Maidstone Borough as Barming is, and it can now be formally acknowledged as such.

“Having an accurate ward title may also help reduce confusion for people in neighbouring communities who are not electorally in Barming.”