Surrey CC’s cabinet has approved a 1.99% council tax rise to avoid the ‘unnecessary’ £2m cost of a referendum.
Council leader, David Hodge, said while the town hall needed the funding raised from a 2.5% increase to local levies, spending on the resultant local vote would have been a ‘waste of public money’.
A council tax hike over 2% currently requires local authorities to launch a local vote on their plans.
Speaking at a meeting yesterday, Hodge – who is also chairman of the County Councils Network - urged central government to devolve further budgetary powers to local authorities, arguing town halls ‘were best placed’ to manage their own affairs.
Hodge, said: ‘We had planned to go for 2.5% because we could have used that money on highways and other things.
‘But the truth of the matter is that if we want to go for 2.5% it will cost us a minimum £2m to find that answer for the sake of £3m. That is just unnecessary; it’s a waste of public money in my opinion.
‘What I would like to see is government letting local government and councils manage their own budgets and manage their affairs as I believe we are best placed to manage those affairs.’
The recommendation by Surrey’s cabinet will now go to a meeting of the full council on 11 February, where a final decision on the council tax rise will be taken.
