Small business owners say they are disgusted at council bosses giving them just a month to clear their desks and leave a valued shared office space.

The Neptune Co-Working Hub in Herne Bay has been operating at a loss according to Canterbury City Council, which now plans to re-let the space.

But workers based at the site have criticised the "highly unprofessional" way the local authority has acted after giving firms such short notice to vacate.

The centre in William Street opened in 2020 and is currently home to about 30 companies which hire office space, helping to cut costs and allow employees to share ideas.

More than £210,000 was secured by the city council in 2019 after it made a successful bid from the Coastal Communities Fund.

However, businesses were served with a notice last week telling them the shared element of the hub will end.

Freelance writer and editor Lou Reade, who uses the hub twice a week, says he believes the length of time given is "ridiculous".

"I had my life and business planned out with a certain amount of assurance there," he said.

"But a guillotine has come down with no consultation or a hint.

"It was a bolt from the blue, impersonable and ill-thought-out. Did the council really expect us to vacate the premises quietly?

"I thought it was highly unprofessional from a council which claims to be very business-friendly."

Mortgage advisor Jade Howard, who runs JH Financial Advice, says she used to work from home but found it "horrendous" due to also having her kids at home while trying to work.

"I think it’s disgusting that such short notice has been given to businesses," the 33-year-old said.

"The council knows there aren’t many hubs for people to relocate and hire a desk.

"It forces us to work from home again."

Paul Marshall, who runs a renewable energy company which has more than 10 workers, described the news as a "shock to the system" and may now relocate his business back to London.

"We wanted to grow our company in Herne Bay as it’s a good location for wind and solar," the 40-year-old said.

"But we’ve not been able to do that as there hasn’t been enough space available [at the hub] so it’s a surprise to hear it’s closing."

He says the Neptune Hub is unique as it gives businesses the chance to interact with each other.

"I have not experienced it in any other co-working spaces and I’ve worked in quite a few," he added.

"People generally sit there like robots but here there is a creativity which grows business by working together and creating new incomes."

David Cloake is the secretary of Cabin FM, which is a community radio station which does not use the co-working hub but broadcasts from the building in a space it leases from the council.

However, he has thrown his support behind businesses.

"What is very concerning is the closure notice has not been consulted on with us in terms of the impact," he said.

"There has been no dialogue at all and it has came out of the blue and there has been no community impact assessment on us as a charity or the community which we care about.

"We are supporting the tenants and the members of the co-working hub as we think it’s the wrong decision.

"We would urge the council to put it on hold for six months so dialogue can take place about the future of the hub and those it serves."

The council says it is making a loss on its operation and if it rents the space at market rents it will receive an income.

A spokesman said: "We’re sorry for the short notice. This has been a very difficult decision and is the culmination of a number of factors coming together at the same time.

"These include the ongoing subsidy from hard-pressed council budgets that will be required now the Coastal Communities Fund funding has come to an end which makes the co-working element of the project unviable.

"Though, through careful management, this money has lasted far longer than first envisaged.

"Also the fact our workspace co-ordinator, who did an incredible job in managing the hub and has been key to its success, left at the end of last year.

"And the capital investment needed to tackle a number of persistent issues with the building.

"Our intention is to re-let the space for business use as quickly as we possibly can."