Kent jobs for Kent workers!

That's the pledge of Kent County Council as it appeals to local authorities to back Kent businesses and their employees during these dark economic times.

Council leader Paul Carter promised a new public sector relationship with business and urged councils to better understand its needs.

KCC has come under fire for stepping up its commercial activities and competing with the private sector.

Cllr Carter's remarks will be seen as an olive branch to the companies that have been angered by the competition.

He acknowledged the vital importance of business to Kent's future, and expressed concern that job losses in the private sector could spark a rise in social problems.

Cllr Carter said: "The public sector has got to look at its procurement chain and make sure the contracts are fragmented into more appropriate sizes and scale that do not just attract the national big boys but can be had by Kent businesses.

"In KCC, we're going to make sure we walk the talk. We've all got a duty to make sure we ensure as many Kent jobs for Kentish people as possible through the public sector."

Cllr Carter's remarks came ahead of the launch of a Backing Kent Business campaign that KCC is about to unveil.

Cllr Carter told delegates at the Kent Partnership Conference in Maidstone that he wanted to see a completely different relationship between the public and business sectors.

There should be better understanding of business needs, having more "conversations" with them and "doing all we can to support them."

He added: "We need to do much more, we need to have an intelligent sign-posting system for businesses to public sector contracts that are in Kent and around Kent."