COUNTY council chiefs have ruled out running community rail services that could be cut or lost altogether because they do not make enough money.

Kent County Council said it had no interest in running or subsidising community services which commercial rail operators could be tempted to axe.

The Strategic Rail Authority has set out plans to develop so-called Community Rail Partnerships in rural areas and is consulting on the idea at the same time as the new Kent rail franchise.

These partnerships could involve local authorities, community groups and others teaming up to run and manage services on specified lines, possibly with the help of funding from developers.

The concept is well-established in parts of Europe and rail chiefs believe that up to 60 lines and 420 mainly rural stations in the UK – which it has not identified - could be designated as “community railways.”

It is experimenting with the idea in five parts of the country, including Cornwall and Hertfordshire. Senior Conservative councillors have already rejected the idea.

Cllr Alex King, Conservative KCC cabinet member for regneration, said it would cost too much.

He stressed: “There would be major problems if we set out to subsidise and run rail services... they [require] a never-ending pot of money. You only have to look at the amount of money thrown at the SRA to be nervous about it. We would resist any situation where the operator could decline to pay for local services if it felt local government would.”

However, it was important that KCC and other local councils secured a stake in the new franchise operator. “I wouldn’t want to risk council money supplying services but it is important our voice is heard,” he said.

The Opposition Labour group has called on KCC to consider the idea as a way of getting around the prospect of Kent losing some of its less-well used rural services.