EXCLUSIVE

Set in 22-acres of grounds, Chilston Park Hotel near Lenham enjoys a reputation as one of Kent's finest places to both stay and eat.

The four-star, Grade 1 listed 17th century manor house boasts on its website that its guests can enjoy "an array of fine local cuisine" either in its restaurant or private suites.

Among those who had a taste of that cuisine in August last year were 90 county council employees, who were treated to lunch to celebrate the success of the authority's legal services department in two national awards.

The success of the council's legal department cemented its reputation as one of the most enterprising commercial practices in the public sector and one that has raised significant revenue for the authority.

But the KM Group can reveal that the department celebrated in style - at the taxpayers' expense.

The bill for the lunch in one of the hotel's dining suites was £2,397.74.

And it has emerged the meal was not the only bill met from the public purse as part of the celebrations.

Transactions running into hundreds of pounds were run up on the corporate credit card of KCC's director of law and governance Geoff Wild to meet the costs of celebratory chocolates, commemorative photos, minibus hire and drinks at ceremonies held in top London hotels.

We can also reveal that KCC enjoys membership of a private members club in London to entertain business clients.

The new disclosures of how KCC credit cards have been used by senior council officers to pay for hospitality will again raise questions about their use.

All the claims made for expenditure on credit cards were authorised and not questioned.

Information passed to the KM Group from credit card statements lays bare the extent of the authority's spending on two awards ceremonies within days of each other in central London last June.

The first was the Lawyer Awards, held in the five-star Grosvenor House Hotel in Park Lane.

KCC paid £2,875 for a table for ten at the event, which was hosted by the top comedian Michael MacIntyre.

The party, including some of the authority's most senior solicitors, enjoyed refreshments that cost £223.30 as they celebrated being named as the Legal Services In-house Public Sector Team of The Year.

That was not the only cost, however. Taxi invoices seen by the KM show that two minbuses were hired to transport the party from County Hall to London and back again - at a cost of £500 and twice what it would have cost the party to travel by train.

Just two days later, there was a second trip to London. This time, it was for an awards ceremony hosted by BBC newsreader Hugh Edwards at the Hilton Park Hotel - also in Park Lane - where KCC had been shortlisted for a second award.

The party of ten - among 1,000 guests at the event - ran up a drinks bill of £131.06 as the authority was named as a runner up in the Municipal Journal Awards. Its table fee was £1,482. Again, travel to the event was in taxis at a cost of £435.

The celebrations did not end there, however. In September, 90 small boxes of chocolates were ordered from Thornton's at a cost of £338 to give to staff as a corporate gift.

Finally, £284 was spent on 16 commemorative photos of the award winners and given to staff to mark the event - costing the taxpayer £284.

Kent County Council said the bill for drinks at the Lawyer Awards at the Grosvenor House Hotel worked out at £19.85 per person after claiming back VAT and that refreshments "had to be ordered and paid for on the evening of the event".

The bill for refreshments at the Hilton Park Hotel equated to £11.85 per person.

It said Chilston Park Hotel was chosen for the celebratory staff lunch because it was the cheapest option from quotes obtained elsewhere, including the council's Oakwood House.

In a statement, the authority said the legal services department "are run as a business and make a financial contribution of more than £1m per year to KCC which goes towards the provision of services to residents."

The department enjoyed "unprecedented success" in 2009, winning three awards and working for 250 public sector bodies.