SURREY Police’s share of council tax could rise by an average of £12 per household as the force needs to plug a funding gap that could see personnel laid off as a last resort.

If the police precept is increased in 2019/20 by the maximum amount allowed without a referendum, the force would still need to find £12.2 million of savings over next four years.

This equates to £12 for a Band D property, and an increase of 5.07 per cent.

If the raise in its share of the council tax has to be kept to 1.99 per cent then the savings needed in that period would be £17.5m.

Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) David Munro said “head counts” would have to be considered as a last resort to make the savings, but remained optimistic that Surrey’s financial situation was not as bad as other commissions around the country and that it was a “stable force”.

A report shown at a Surrey Police and Crime Panel meeting at Surrey County Council’s County Hall on Wednesday, September 19, highlighted the two possible financial scenarios based on the precept rise.

Both of these possible savings targets are part of the financial plan and would be subject to the impact of inflation, government grants and police pay.

The actual figure is thought to be somewhere between the two and any proposed increase will be put out to public consultation in December or January.

Mr Munro, who will ask the panel to vote on his proposed precept in February, told the panel he was also in talks with Sussex, Hampshire and Thames Valley commissioners and chief constables about more collaboration work.

Members of the panel said they were concerned about the saving targets.

David Reeve, a Guildford borough councillor, said: “The savings we have got to find over four years seem far beyond our reach.”

Margaret Cooksey, Mole Valley district councillor, added meeting those savings would be an “uphill struggle” and was a “depressing” picture.

In the Medium Term Financial Plan report presented to the panel it showed that to date only £1.6m of the savings plan of £12.2m has been identified, giving rise to a deficit of £10.6m.

If the force can only raise the precept by 1.99 per cent in 2019/20, instead of applying the £12 maximum currently allowed by Government then those savings will rise to £17.5m and again with only £1.6m identified, that would mean an additional £15.9m savings would need to be found.

Ian Perkin, treasurer and chief finance officer for the PCC office, said the figures are not set in stone and will be altered and adjusted as circumstances change with things such as Brexit and the effect that will have on inflation, interest rates and exchange rates.

The total gross budget for 2018/19 is £214.6m with funding including £90m from a Home Office grant and £9.2m from council tax support grant.