The Surrey Police Authority (SPA) budget will not be capped by the Government after it announced a 2.41 per cent increase in the police’s share of council tax, representing an annual increase of £4.68 for band D properties.

The SPA was capped by the Government in 2008 and 2009 after attempting to increase its share of council tax by more the recommended 5 per cent.

It has since axed a number of roles within the force - such as the Elmbridge’s crime reduction adviser - to avoid a repeat this year.

The Government would have capped the SPA again if their share of the council tax had been increased by 2.5 per cent or more, sources said.

SPA chairman Peter Williams said cuts to posts across the organisation had enabled them to produce a “balanced budget which provides excellent policing services for Surrey while breaking the cycle of capping”.

He criticised the Government for not providing the support that the authority said it needed to tackle crime in the county.

He said: “Our low level of Government funding compared with other forces, and subsequent reliance on our share of the council tax, means that we would face a high risk of cuts and capping every year if we were to remain on the same trajectory.

“It was clear from the outset of this year’s budget setting process that radical changes would be needed to protect the front line and put us on a more sustainable financial footing, hence the major reorganisation we are pursuing.

“While we hope that the planned changes to Surrey Police will help us to avoid future capping action, we remain firmly of the view that Surrey residents have to provide too much for their police service – almost 50 per cent of our total budget- through their council tax.

“We want to see Government funding for Surrey Police increased and brought into line with that of the other forces in the south-east, which would allow us to reduce what we need to raise through council tax. We will continue to press the Government to change the way it funds police forces and give a fairer deal to the Surrey taxpayer.”

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