Kent County Council is reviewing how part-time workers are "appreciated" following claims from the leader that they received fewer bonuses because they put their family before their jobs.

Cllr Paul Carter had said it was "human nature" that part-time workers had "different priorities" back in June.

A council report found full-time employees at KCC received higher appraisal ratings than their part-time counterparts.

The annual staff performance report detailed how 28% of part-time staff exceeded expectations compared to 42% of staff that work all week.

This meant the full-time staff were more likely to receive a 5% bonus for their hard work last year.

The council only awarded this to 6% of staff.

In a report published ahead of the personnel meeting tomorrow, the head of HR Paul Royel recommended action must be taken to "improve the management assessment process for all staff".

He wrote: "It is critical that all staff have an appropriate assessment of their performance irrespective of their contracted hours.

"We are seeking to ensure that part-time staff have every opportunity to benefit from this and are doing so both by enhancing their direct engagement and from a considerable investment in our managerial community."

Another option is to launch a staff forum for members to air their concerns and respond to results from worker surveys.

The personnel committee is set to discuss this tomorrow morning.