By Philip Pitt

A Kent TV firm which missed out on bidding to run the controversial television channel has complained about the way the tender was advertised.

Independent Kent TV, a consortium of Kent business and media people, said they had no idea the tender had been promoted until after the deadline had closed.

The county council says it followed its normal process for contracts worth more than £50,000 by placing the details on two web sites, the Official Journal of the European Union and the South East Business Portal.

TV cameraman Ron Kennedy said: “While KCC may have followed the letter of the law in this tendering process, they have not followed its spirit in opening up the bidding for the contract to a wide range of local Kent television production companies.”

He believes KCC should have placed ads in Broadcast magazine, which is read throughout the UK’s television community, and notified local media.

Lynda McMullan, the county council’s director of finance, says the level of response - 24 expressions of interest - suggested the advert reached a significant number of businesses.

She said the process followed was the one set out in the “How to do business with KCC” section of the county council’s web site.

The announcement inviting businesses to express an interest was placed on August 4 and closed on September 3.

Formal invitations to tender will follow and it is likely a decision would be made before the end of the year.

Faversham-based film-maker Peter Williams said: “I was approached by a member of the Kent TV board and by a number of Kent County Council members who were asking me whether or not I was going to bid for the franchise.

“This was, in fact, some time after the closing date. For some weeks I asked for a copy of the tender document and no document was sent to me.”

He added: “I am sad that for all the pioneering work that Kent has done in this field that this issue has become a political football because the contribution that local TV can make to the democratic process will be crucial in the coming years.”

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