A Conservative councillor who challenged for the leadership at Kent County Council (KCC) has been promoted with a £16,000 allowance increase in a twist dubbed "a soap opera".

In a move seen as an attempt to quell disquiet in some sections of the back benches, Tory and council leader Roger Gough appears to have snuffed out the immediate threat to his four-year reign.

Cllr Harry Rayner has been given a promotion to deputy cabinet member and is understood to have backed down from his attempt to unseat Cllr Gough.

But one opposition member described the manoeuvre as another episode in the KCC "soap opera", while another said it was like rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic.

Back in July, Cllr Rayner told Cllr Gough of his intention to stand against him during a Conservative group meeting.

It sparked days of feverish speculation about who else might come forward ahead of the Tories' annual meeting in October when the leader is chosen.

Cllr Gough is under huge pressure to find efficiency savings of up to £86m against a backdrop of tightened budgets and soaring costs and facing fire over the proposed closures of tips and potholed roads.

On August 14, the Tory leader carried out a minor reshuffle of his cabinet, sacking transport and highways boss David Brazier and making several new appointments.

But just a week later, KCC's General Counsel Ben Watts advised members of a series of deputy cabinet member appointments - one of whom was Cllr Rayner, the member for Malling west.

In addition to his basic allowance of £16,401 a year, Cllr Rayner can now claim £16,180 as the deputy cabinet member for finance.

Cllr Rayner declined to comment but his cabinet colleague Dylan Jeffrey confirmed he had withdrawn his leadership challenge after talks with Cllr Gough.

Leader of the Liberal Democrats Antony Hook commented: "The Conservative KCC administration becomes ever more dysfunctional.

"One day, Harry Rayner stages a coup against the leader - the next, he is taking a job under the same leader.

"This soap opera will do nothing to fix the massive financial hole that has been created by the Tories who will make further cuts to services Kent residents need."

Labour member for Margate, Cllr Barry Lewis, said: "The recent reshuffle is a bit like moving the deck chairs on the Titanic and it won't stop the Conservatives from sinking the ship.

"As far as Harry Rayner's promotion is concerned, it is a desperate attempt to stop a major revolt over the administration's policies which have proved disastrous.

"Obviously, this includes the proposed closure of the tips, a massive increase in potholes and taking the authority to the brink of bankruptcy."

Cllr Gough was approached for a comment.

One senior Conservative figure told LDRS: "What I do know is that Harry has got a keen mind when it comes to looking at financial figures. He's pretty forensic and he'll do a good job."

A back bencher confided: "Harry's a good appointment - he's sensible and straight-forward. Roger is a fine leader, a good man and he is under a lot of pressure to find immense savings.

"Nothing about this is easy, nothing about this is as simple as the opposition makes it out to be.

"Most of us on the backbenches acknowledge that and cannot think of many others who could do it better than Roger."