"We were wrong,” Maidstone council has admitted.

A report on the cost of administering Maidstone’s night-time economy was presented to councillors on the Communities, Housing and Environment Committee earlier this month.

Members were told that it costs £4,326.92 to provide CCTV coverage for the town each Saturday night, a figure that turns out to be seven times the actual cost.

The number was challenged through the Kent Messenger last week by Paul Alcock, a former chairman of the Night-time Economy Forum, who said it was obviously a gross exaggeration.

The officer who prepared the report, Sarah Robson, returned from leave this week and was able to re-investigate the figures.

The overall contract cost for CCTV is £225,000 per annum.

The figure quoted in the report was the cost of CCTV for one week: ie £225,000 divided by 52, giving £4,326.92.

The council now says the figure quoted should have been the daily average: £225,000 divided by 365, giving £616.44.

When this is added in to the other costs connected to Saturday nights: policing and street cleansing for example, the average cost to local agencies comes to £2,363.32.

However, the proportion of this cost that is directly related to the late night economy is still questionable.

The CCTV contract provides for 24-hour coverage and would cost the same even if all the clubs shut at 11pm.

A council spokesman said: "The report was to provide a general indication of a day’s cost to support the night-time economy.

"Some of the costs were quite specific to Saturday night, such as the additional policing staff and portable urinal.

"However, costs such as street cleaning, licensing and CCTV have been averaged to equate to one day’s cost, not specifically a Saturday night."