The Mayor of Epsom and Ewell has expressed concern over the number of cuts to the mayor's budget.

Epsom and Ewell Council hope to save £25,000 by hiring a new car for the mayor and slashing the budget for official events.

At a meeting on November 15, the Skoda Superb pipped five alternatives including a Toyota Prius, Audi A6 Saloon, Mercedes Benz E Class Saloon, BMW 5 Series and Volvo S80 saloon.

At £3,202 per year, including hire and fuel costs, the Skoda Superb was the cheapest available car by more than £500 with the Toyota Prius second at £3,739.

And while the Skoda may not be as economically efficient as the Toyota Prius, its emissions are just 114g/km compared to the least economic option, the Mercedes Benz E Class at 145g/km.

The council sold the Rolls Royce, previously used to chauffeur the mayor, last year and established a cheaper pool car system.

Allocated chauffeur driven hours have also been set to 18 hours per week and the mayoral budget cut from £14,400 to £9,400.

Councillor Sheila Carlson, the mayor of Epsom and Ewell, also drives herself to many events saving the council costs by paying for her own petrol and feels the cuts may be too severe. She said: “The council obviously should be looking at the most economical options and also should be looking at CO2 emissions when making a decision on the mayoral car. “The type of car is not as important as the provision of transport to enable me to fulfil my role successfully; I’m certainly not suggesting we go back to a Rolls Royce just a car that can be afforded.

“However, as Mayor of Epsom and Ewell I am expected to attend over 400 functions over the course of the year and this time allowance does not cover all the events I will attend."

"So in order to carry out my duties, when I’m not being driven around by the chauffeur, I drive myself to and from functions and I pay for the petrol.

"I think the people of the borough should be aware of that.”