A county councillor claims his authority is not "abandoning young people" minutes before voting down two bills which would have given £1.4 million to youth services and children's centres.

Cllr Seán Holden (Con) dismissed claims Kent County Council is "heartless" for not approving plans that would provide a safe space for teenagers and a community hub for families and their young children.

At the latest full council meeting he said: "It doesn't feel to me that we live in this dreadful society that the last possibility of rescue is going to come from this.

"It's not the worst time it's ever been and we are not a heartless county council that's just going to abandon these people.

"I don't want to see Kent represented like that, I don't want to see our modern society represented like that.

"I don't accept the premise that we are going to be rejecting this and we are therefore abandoning our young people."

The two amendments, which were suggested by Labour councillors, would have allocated £500,000 to youth services and £900,000 to children's centres.

The money would have been allocated for safe spaces "for all young people where they can seek accurate advice and guidance, learn new skills, fail safely, learn to be a rounded person and deal with the problems of being a teenager and life in general".

Cllr Constantine said: "As a parent myself I've seen my own teens struggle and their friends.

"We like to think as parents, or grandparents, that we do enough for our young people but we know from our own experience that sometimes our best just isn't good enough.

"We sometimes have to watch on helplessly knowing that vital support needs to come from somewhere else.

"I don't accept the premise that we are going to be rejecting this and we are therefore abandoning our young people" - Cllr Seán Holden

"What happens to Kent's young people when that support isn't there?"

Cllr Karen Constantine and Cllr Dara Farrell added they hoped this early intervention would prevent young people from being groomed by gangs to commit criminal activities.

Additional resources for children's centres would have be used to create a "community hub" for families with young children to access nurses, mental health experts and education at the same place.

However, both amendments were voted down by the Conservatives, which hold 67 of the 81 seats at County Hall.

Cllr Sue Chandler (Con), who also voted against both proposals, said: "We all want our young people to have the best that we can offer them but I can't support this amendment.

"As an authority we are actually doing an awful lot better than many places at continuing to provide services for our young people.

"I think listening to the speakers you'd believe there's not a lot going on but there's a huge amount going on across our county both by this authority and with partners to deliver preventative services for young people.

"I think putting all our eggs in one basket is not the answer."

These remarks came hours after Kent crime commissioner Matthew Scott highlighted the prevalence of gangs targeting vulnerable young people in Kent.

At his Violence Reduction Challenge summit in Maidstone, he said: "We know we have a footprint of gangs from London and other places trying to exploit our young people.

"We are trying to make sure we work together.

"It's just not policing it's local authorities and charities are working in partnership to tackle these problems because we know they are multifaceted and it's not just about crime, there's issues with regards to substances, mental health and poor attendance at schools.

"We are trying to work together to make sure young people are protected from harm and we minimise the opportunities for criminals to exploit them."

Mr Scott said this as he was announced a more than £800,000 grant to St Giles Trust, which helps prevent children from as young as eight getting involved in gangs.

Cllr Trudy Dean (Lib Dem) said: "It's a shame the event was not attended by more county councillors because what Mr Holden just said was the complete contradiction of what was said there.

"From the police force, social services, youth organisation we got the same consistent message - that the threats from young people are now as never before.

"The reason is the dissemination of gangs out into the counties of county lines, that has never happened before.

"I'm prepared to believe the police on this issue."

Cllr Karen Constantine (Lab) added her assertion there has been a rise in teenage suicides, mental health crises and knife crime due young people having nowhere to turn.