MPs have strongly criticised Kent County Council over its failure to help assess whether there could be a compulsory buyout of Manston Airport.

A report by the cross-party transport select committee published today (FRIDAY) said KCC should have done more to help Thanet council and that it had failed in its duty as a local transport authority.

It also said comments made by the leader of KCC Paul Carter were "inconsistent" with a motion passed by the council pledging to support proposals to keep Manston as an airport.

The committee report also calls on Ann Gloag, the former owner of Manston, to publish details of the joint venture with Chris Musgrave and Trevor Cartner "to make it clear who would benefit from the proposed redevelopment of Manston and to repudiate allegations of asset-stripping."

"Despite having agreed a motion to support Thanet council, it failed to deploy those assets. In failing to support Thanet council's scrutiny of the proposed CPO... KCC also failed to fulfil its strategic oversight function" - select committee report

The airport was sold to the two who say that they intend to develop it as a mixed-use scheme but without any aviation services.

The MPs' harshest criticism is reserved for KCC.

They say: "KCC has the legal and financial resources to assess complex CPO cases.

"Despite having agreed a motion to support Thanet council, it failed to deploy those assets. In failing to support Thanet council's scrutiny of the proposed CPO... KCC also failed to fulfil its strategic oversight function as the local transport authority."

The report went on to say the fact that the Department for Transport had interceded reflected "the extent to which Kent County Council failed to fulfil its strategic oversight role."

However, the report was also critical of the government, saying that while it welcomed the decision to appoint a consultant to examine the case "the uncertainty faced by the public and other interested parties could have been reduced if it had not taken three months before it acted."

The report has mixed messages for those who are fighting to keep Manston as an airport.

MPs raise questions about the ownership of the site, saying: "Because the joint venture agreement between Mr Cartner, Mr Musgrave and Ann Gloag to redevelop Manston is not in the public domain, it is unknown how any profits derived from the re-development of Manston might be shared.

The report accepts that there is "no general case for the government to purchase airports, including Manston."

But they suggest the DfT "review what powers it has to intervene in cases where strategic transport assets are at risk and whether those powers are fit for purpose."

A consultant was recently appointed by the government to review what had happened with the CPO proposals but will not report until after the election.

KCC was approached to comment on the report but has not yet responded.