by political editor Paul Francis

Kent County Council has defended spending hundreds of thousands of pounds on private medical insurance for senior staff and more than 100 trips abroad by officials in a single year.

The council emerges as one of the highest-spending authorities for staff benefits and foreign travel in a survey of council spending published today.

The survey was conducted by Channel 4 and the Bureau for Investigative Journalism.

It shows that a private medical insurance scheme for about 250 county council managers cost the taxpayer £194,000 in 2009-10 compared to £67,000 in 2005. Meanwhile, 117 trips abroad by officers and councillors cost the taxpayer £56,000.

KCC strongly defended the costs of both.

On health contributions for staff, the council said it had been a critical part of its efforts to recruit and retain senior managers.

Cllr Roger Gough (Con), KCC cabinet member for corporate services, said that as the largest authority in the country, KCC would expect to feature prominently in any survey.

"The Senior Medical Insurance scheme was designed originally as part of our total reward package, critical in attracting and retaining senior managers and creating a scheme which is of mutual benefit to the employer and employee. The fund is run as a trust, and we have actively sought members from other public sector organisations to make the scheme as cost-effective as possible."

’s most senior officers who joined the scheme paid for it themselves, he added.Any of the authority

On foreign travel, the county council said partnerships with other countries were important to tourism, investment and trade. It undertook more foreign visits in 2009-10 than any other authority, according to the survey.

Cllr Alex King (Con), deputy leader, said:

"Kent is the only fixed link to mainland Europe and is a global gateway region, offering a range of opportunities and challenges. Kent County Council develops and maintains strong international partnerships to benefit the county by increasing tourism, trade and inward investment; by securing the benefits of major events such as the 2012 Olympics; by raising the county’s profile as a place to live and do business; by giving our young people access to international culture and learning; and by maximising European funding coming into Kent."

Since 2007, KCC’s activities abroad had played a part in securing more than £21m in EU grants.

You can read the full report athttp://thebureauinvestigates.com. Channel 4 broadcasts the findings tonight at 7pm.