Consultants could be paid £5m to advise on care for vulnerable adults.

Kent County Council is set to pay consultants more than £5million - for advice on how to cut the costs of looking after some of the most vulnerable adults in the county, it has emerged.

Social services chiefs are poised to offer the seven-figure contract to outside consultants as part of a two-year deal to help determine the best way of reducing spending on adult care by £18m.

County Hall sources say the value of the contract is around £5.4m.

The savings in adult care are among the deepest KCC is making this year and have already provoked criticism from those that say it will lead to poorer services.

We revealed last week how the county council had spent £4.5m on consultants in just a year, including tens of thousands of pounds on executive coaching for managers.

Now we can reveal the authority is facing more embarrassment and a furious political row, with backbench county councillors from all parties openly questioning why the money has to be spent.

The contract was considered in private by a backbench committee last week and a call to abandon the proposal was only defeated when the Conservative chairman voted twice.

Cllr Graham Gibbens, the Conservative cabinet member for adult care, said bringing in consultants could be effective but said he was "reflecting" on the views of colleagues.

"We are looking at a complex transformation in adult care and doing things differently across the whole range of services. We are not talking about cuts.

"Consultants can bring fresh eyes to a situation and it can be useful to look at things afresh."

He acknowledged there were concerns about whether consultants were appropriate but emphasised they would be working alongside KCC staff.

"I do have questions about [the use] of consultants - there is a time and a place for them." Opposition Labour spokesman Cllr Les Christie said: "At a time when cuts to services are happening which are already affecting vulnerable people, spending this amount of money is totally unacceptable."

Conservative county councillor Keith Ferrin echoed: "I am concerned about the costs of taking these consultants on and feel quite strongly that if we are to do this kind of exercise, it should be our own staff doing it."

A report by council officials claims that not appointing consultants to help the county council "transform" adult care could cost it money.

The report reveals the authority has already gone through a tendering process and decided on a company from a three-strong shortlist.