THE country’s largest accounting and business consulting firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers, has pledged its loyalty to Kent after moving to West Sussex.

Partner Jon Wright, formerly in charge of the Maidstone offices in Albion Place, rejected any suggestion the move signalled a weakening of its commitment to Kent clients.

Mr Wright, who lives in Tonbridge and is a graduate of the University of Kent, said that many staff were out and about in Kent and the move had not caused clients any problems. Few of them had ever come to the Maidstone office anyway.

He said: "The message is we're not abandoning Kent clients, we are better equipped to look after them. The reaction from companies to our move has been extremely positive.''

Earlier this year, PwC closed its Maidstone and Croydon offices and moved staff into a new regional headquarters close to Gatwick Airport.

They were joined by a number of specialists from London in a regional operation serving Kent, Sussex and Surrey.

Around 40 people were effected by the closure of the Maidstone office. Most switched to Gatwick, but 10 did not.

The new operation, based in Regus serviced accommodation at First Point, Buckingham Gate, started with 85 staff but that number has already risen to more than 100.

The firm is seeking more staff, especially from Maidstone, Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge and Sevenoaks, and partners are confident the new offices will be outgrown within nine months.

Partner Malcolm Preston said the move meant PwC could offer clients a much wider range of specialist services, many of which they would previously have had to travel to London to find.

It was important for practices to offer these services - it was what clients demanded and that meant critical mass was vital.

Mr Preston said: "Whether you like it or not, if you're in Maidstone and you need a specialist out of London, it's difficult to get their attention. Kent-based clients will get much better attention here.''

PwC emerged from the merger of Price Waterhouse with Coopers and Lybrand. Since 1998, it has been the UK's largest accounting firm with annual turnover of £1.5bn.