A DOUR warning was delivered this week to Waverley residents as it was announced that council tax is expected to soar in the new year.
With a council tax bill increase of at least 15 per cent on the cards from Surrey County Council, residents are also being warned they will face increased charges from Surrey Police and Waverley Borough Council.
Together these increases could send the total demands on council tax payers through the roof.
The warning came last Friday from outraged county council leader Nick Skellett, after the government announced that Surrey will be among the most harshly-treated councils in the country.
The meagre 3.7 per cent rise in the grant to Surrey is the lowest awarded this year, with some other councils enjoying the maximum 12.5 per cent.
Mr Skellett said: "Overall, the whole cake is bigger, but the south east's slice is smaller. Counties, especially those in the south east, will lose out as the central government grant moves north."
Speaking at a meeting of Waverley's decision-making executive committee, borough council leader David Harmer made his feelings on the matter clear.
Mr Harmer told councillors: "This is unbelievable. Once again, the government is telling us to take extra responsibilities, but refusing to pay its fair share.
"Instead it is pushing public money to its friends."
Mr Harmer then explained that the council would need an extra £407,000 in the next financial year to meet the cost of new government requirements, with the majority of this amount to come from the council tax payers' pockets through a seven per cent increase.
Extra national insurance to be paid by the borough council, investment to meet the government's recycling targets and the increased cost of meeting the new legislation for homelessness are among the demands on Waverley.
"The government funding represents a contribution of just £40,000 to these costs. Council tax payers will be forced to pay the rest by an increase of around seven per cent on their council tax bills," Mr Harmer said.
The committee's sombre mood was reflected by Waverley's director of finance, Paul Wenham.
Mr Wenham said: "I think we will have some serious number crunching to do before the budget."
Councillors' fears that services in Surrey will be put under pressure as a result of the low grant settlement were shared by Surrey police.
The police authority was also left out in the cold by the government and will receive an increase of just 0.9 per cent on last year's grant.
Chairman of Surrey Police Authority, Alan Peirce, said the only way to make up for the £13.7 million budget shortfall would be to increase the burden on local council tax payers.
"We are facing a budget shortfall. This means that Surrey Police Authority is faced with some very difficult decisions.
"We do not want to stand by and see a reduction in the levels of our police service across the county. We don't believe local people want to see this either," added Mr Peirce.
Waverley Borough Council is expected to announce its council tax charges when it publishes its budget in February.
The borough council's assistant director of finance, Graham Clark, told The Herald that he was unable to predict the exact increase in council tax expected in the new year.
l People are getting good value for money from Hampshire and Surrey county councils, according to a study by the National Audit Commission.
The watchdog, which examines whether public bodies deliver value for money, gave Hampshire the top rating of "excellent" and Surrey the second-top rating "good" in its Comprehensive Performance Assessment.
Most councils were also ranked excellent or good, with few judged fair, weak or poor. Both Hampshire and Surrey county councils were judged to be well placed to improve their services, with Surrey getting the top score of four and Hampshire three.