BUSINESS people came face to face with the men behind the commercial arm of Kent County Council to debate the authority's growing activity in the county's business world.

KCC has attracted growing criticism for its ventures into public transport and recruitment through its Kent Top Temps and Kent Top Travel companies, with many business people claiming their council and business taxes are being used to fund the companies, allowing them to compete against them.

The Big Debate was organised and hosted by Kent Business, the KM group's monthly business paper, and was held at East Malling Conference Centre near Maidstone.

An audience of around 50 business people, including representatives of the Institute of Directors and the Federation of Small Businesses, heard Cllr Nick Chard, KCC Cabinet Member for Finance, Kevin Harlock, director of County Commercial Services and Cllr Mike Snelling, KCC lead member for finance, put the case for KCC's commercial activity.

Desmond High, director of EMC Management Consultants/EMC Corporate Finance, Norman Kemp, managing director of Nu-Venutre Coaches and Elaine Craven, managing director of Earl Street Employment Consultants, Maidstone, put the case for business in the debate, which was chaired by Kent Messenger Group business editor Trevor Sturgess.

A vigorous question and answer session followed.

The KCC representatives maintained that the authority had a duty to maintain services for the most disadvantaged in the community while keeping Council Tax at an affordable level, and its commercial activity helped in that aim.

The business community voiced concerns over the transparency of KCC's business operations and maintained they were operating at an unfair advantage as they received subsidies from the council - a claim strongly denied by Cllr Nick Chard.

Votes taken at the start and conclusion of the debate showed not a single member of the audience agreeing with the motion that KCC should be involved in the commercial activity it undertakes.

For a full report on the debate, see the March edition of Kent Business, distributed free with your local Kent Messenger Group paid for newspaper during the week ending March 7.