Kent chairman George Kennedy claims the England and Wales Cricket Board has dealt his county "an unfair hand" by declining to consider them for promotion in place of Durham.

The ECB agreed a bail-out for financially-stricken Durham, on a series of conditions including relegation from Division One of the Specsavers County Championship.

In a statement on Monday, the ECB also announced Hampshire will instead remain in the top flight despite finishing below Durham in the second relegation position.

The governing body explained Hampshire's retention of Division One status is "in accordance with ECB's competition regulations".

But Kennedy believes it is "embarrassing", "plumb wrong" and "against the spirit of cricket" to have chosen Hampshire "arbitrarily" as the beneficiaries of Durham's demotion.

He is therefore planning to take up an invitation to meet ECB chairman Colin Graves over the next week, to state Kent's case as this summer's Division Two runners-up.

"I would have expected them to at least have had a look at number two in the second division," he told Sky Sports News.

"But we heard nothing at all."

Kennedy learned of the arrangements only when he was contacted by the media for his response.

"The ECB at that stage hadn't told me," he said.

"They had, unfortunately, told Hampshire they were staying up a day or so earlier - so it was rather embarrassing all round."

Since then, however, he has been in contact with the ECB.

"They called me and said 'Look, it's time we had a meeting' - because I had said I'd rather lost confidence in the ECB, and you can understand why," he added.

"They want to try to repair that damage. We finished second; there seems to be a vacancy, and to arbitrarily take one club and let them stay up without even looking at the others just seems plumb wrong.

"I think we deserve to be at least looked at."

Kennedy has hinted too that he has qualms not just about the decision but how it was reached, in this case.

He added: "Now we've been dealt an unfair hand, in my opinion, I think there should at least be an appeal and it should be heard by somebody other than the straightforward board at ECB.

"There were five people not allowed to vote on something that really has a fundamental effect on the future of Kent.

"On this occasion, I think they went against the spirit of cricket in not even discussing this with Kent.

"I just want them to understand how we feel, to simply tell Hampshire that they're okay, and ignore the rest of us, that's not really on at all."

An ECB spokesman issued no response to any of Kennedy's specific remarks other than to spell out the premise on which Hampshire remain in Division One.

He said: "Yesterday's decision to reinstate Hampshire was in line with the two-down, one-up relegation and promotion rules for this season's county championship which were notified to all counties and published prior to start of the 2016 season."

Kennedy plans to put an alternative option on the table, to revert for 12 months to the usual promotion and relegation formula dispensed with for this year only in order to accommodate a new structure as of next season.

"I don't see why they can't revert to the two up and two down for this one season, and start the new regime for next year," he said.

"That would be an elegant way out, and I think it would help the ECB to save face - and it would certainly help us quite dramatically as well.

"So that's one of the things I'll be suggesting to Colin Graves."

He is hoping that Kent will not need to consider legal action.

"Kent at least is in a very stable financial situation and ready to move forward - but to move forward for another year in the second division would be a little depressing, when we haven't even had a chance to present our case," he said.

"The last thing I want to do is end up in court with an organisation like the ECB.

"But I'm hoping they won't be totally intransigent and at least they'll listen to our arguments."