The failed East Kent City of Culture bid cost the taxpayer £50,000 - with the five councils in the area sharing the bill between them.

The councils who each contributed £10,000 to the pot were Ashford, Dover, Thanet, Shepway and Canterbury.

The bid recently failed to make the government's shortlist to become city of culture in 2017 but organisers say the money was a good investment and lessons were learned.

They have also spoken of an artistic dividend for the county as a result of the campaign and positive media coverage, although there was some criticism of the low key PR strategy.

Details of how the bid was funded were released to the KM Group following a Freedom of Information request.

It shows that £22,000 was spent on project management; £6,500 was spent on designing a website and managing social media; £8,000 on writing the bid and £1,000 for artists' fees.

Other costs included £1,325 for what was described as a "teaser video production"; £2,500 to transport and insure artwork and £1,175 for travel and subsistence.

In its response, the county council said it had also relied on the PR company Seven Hills for "promotion and advocacy". The company already has a £250,000 contract to handle the public relations for the east Kent "Grow For It" campaign, designed to boost investment and jobs in the area.

The council said: "The benefits of the bidding exercise are being evaluated but will include the generation of substantial positive regional, national and international media exposure for East Kent."

It added that the bid had helped foster "an enhanced spirit of cooperation and collaboration" within the arts and cultural sector.