Kent County Council spent more than £4,700 sending managers on training courses and conferences at three hotels in just two weeks, it has emerged.

In one case, 21 members of a children’s partnership board from Gravesend spent two days at the exclusive four-star Chilston Park Hotel in Lenham, near Maidstone. The council said it was the cheapest and nearest one available at the time - even though it is 26 miles away from Gravesend. The bill for the event came in at £2,150.

In another, council managers leading the local 23 boards attended what was described as a "team-building and development" session at Bridgewood Manor Hotel near Chatham. That also involved an overnight stay and cost the taxpayer £2,307.

Now county education chiefs have stepped in and announced a freeze on others planned. They said they were unaware of the hotel bookings as they had been organised and booked by the partnership boards.

Delegates attending the event at Chilston Park Hotel, a Grade 1 listed building, were from the Gravesham Children’s Services Board. Of the 21 attending, eleven stayed overnight while ten chose to go home.

The conference at Bridgewood Manor Hotel near Chatham was arranged for the 23 county council managers in charge of the new boards. All stayed overnight and the overall bill was £2,307.

A third event held at The Holiday Inn, near Wrotham, was also held for 16 members of the Malling Local Children’s Services Board in January. The half-day session cost a more modest £334.78 and was held at a hotel "to ensure all board members could focus on the work required and not be disturbed."

Dr Ian Craig, KCC’s acting director of childrens services, said he had ordered an investigation.

He had already stepped in to stop delegates from staying overnight during another two-day conference at the Brands Hatch Thistle Hotel.

"In the current climate, it is incumbent on us to ensure that we are using and spending public money wisely. On learning of what had taken place, I immediately pulled the plug on others that were planned. All partnerships will now have to justify to me why it is they need to use a hotel and get approval beforehand," he said.

Partnership boards were in charge of their own budgets and had arranged the events independently, he added.

As well as managers from KCC, the boards include representatives from other agencies, such as the police, voluntary groups and the health service.

Dr Craig said for routine meetings, partnership boards usually used county council facilities but these were one-off events.