The delegation is due to visit Virginia in the United States

by political editor Paul Francis

Kent County Council says a trade mission to America that it is spearheading could boost jobs and investment.

The trip, scheduled for September, will see a delegation of businesses, along with KCC deputy leader Alex King and representatives from Locate in Kent, head to Boston and Virginia for a week to try to drum up contracts.

The cost to the taxpayer could be in the region of £10,000 but KCC says the potential benefits make the expense worthwhile. Companies are being offered £500 grants by KCC to help meet travel costs.

Cllr King said the delegation would have the benefit of well-established business contacts because of previous partnerships that KCC had developed.

“I cannot say that a specific sum of investment will come out of this but I can say the work we have done on this front has generally proved beneficial.

"The obvious outcome of this, assuming it works - and I am confident it will - will be to build a bridgehead. My role is to open political doors.”

The firms taking part are chiefly from the pharmaceutical and biotech industry and would focus on promoting Kent as a place for inward investment, particularly at the Discovery Park in Sandwich, where Pfizer was based, he added.

In a statement, KCC said its costs for Cllr King and one officer would be about £3,000, with an estimated £2,000 in additional expenses expected.

There would also be a representative from Locate in Kent, whose costs would be £1,500 while the council would offer £500 to each of the seven companies to help cover their travel costs.

“KCC believes that this small investment is necessary to provide a real opportunity for Kent businesses interested in taking products and services to the US as many would be unlikely to explore such opportunities on their own,” the statement added.