This follows Visit Kent earlier this month

In a second blow in as many weeks for the county, Locate in Kent has gone into liquidation.

Kent County Council helped establish the organisation in 1997 and it has served as Kent’s inward investment agency since then.

Its key role has been to promote Kent and Medway as the right place to invest and establish and grow a business.

In its 28 years, it has supported 1,130 companies who have either moved, set-up or expanded in Kent. That has led to the creation or retention of 70,165 jobs, which equates to more than 7 per cent of the current local workforce.

This comes within two weeks of Visit Kent ceasing its operations, which had similar successes for the tourism industry.

Leader of KCC Linden Kemkaran said both organisations had felt the impact of external forces, including the financial ramifications of the county being overlooked for a place on the Devolution Priority Programme and the pressures in local government and public sector finances, plus the loss of various external funding streams that were previously available.

She added: “Another sad day with this news about Locate in Kent.

“Thanks to Locate in Kent, the county is home to many amazing businesses with world class strengths in sectors such as agri-food, life sciences and creative industries. That is some legacy upon which to build.

“Its loss means that awareness of Kent's business opportunities will not be promoted as widely or strongly as before, but we can ensure that is a short-term situation.

“We need to pick up the reins and ride on the momentum that has been created. Our county’s attributes as a quality location for visitors to have memorable stays and for business to thrive do not change as we move into this new chapter - we need to be proactive and innovative to make the most of the existing channels and capitalise on new ones.

“My officers are already around the table with the Visit Kent board and representatives from the wider industry and we will also prioritise support for the Locate in Kent board, key partners and stakeholders to establish next steps for the staff and future activities so everyone knows that Kent is open for business and not left behind.”

Other parts of the UK, including Kent's near neighbours, are receiving local growth funding from Government as part of their devolution deals which can be used to support activities that boost the local economy such as inward investment and visitor economy promotion activity.

Kent has also lost out due to cuts in adults skills funding which are used to train the current and future workforce (devolved areas saw 3% cuts rather than the 6% cuts faced by non-devolved areas). A number of other Government funding streams are being diverted away from areas like Kent which could support key industry sectors and local businesses.

Locate in Kent has worked with companies such as Pfizer, Contracts Engineering, Pannatoni, TPS Logistics, Nutra Direct, Chapel Down Winery and Amazon and has played a crucial role in the development and growth of important commercial and business sites in Kent such as Discovery Park in Sandwich and Kings Hill.

Two local groups convened by Locate in Kent are planning to continue. They are the Kent Housing Group and the Kent Housing Developers Group, which bring together public and private sector partners to discuss challenges facing the construction sector.

Source: Kent County Council