Organisers have pledged “to do everything possible” to ensure a Surrey Remembrance service parade goes ahead after funding was pulled by their local authority.

Surrey Heath Borough Council has been forced to make major cuts to its spending after its financial difficulties became clear. 

It is another Surrey borough that over invested in projects that have failed to make substantial returns.

As such, it has cut 14 per ent of its staff as part of a headcount reduction to help it slash £3 million from its annual budget.

Another casualty has been the loss of funding for the Remembrance parade in Camberley, Surrey Heath Borough Council’s June 16 executive committee heard.

Surrey Heath chief executive Nick Steevens, responding to questions over the cuts from leader of the Conservative group, Cllr Shaun Garrett, said:  “We went through quite an extensive transformation programme which resulted in a significant amount of money having to be found, revenue and capital from across all of our cost centres –  to the tune of about three million pounds.

“Ultimately resulting in what I’m told is about a 14 percent headcount reduction across the authority, so it wasn’t insignificant.

“During our considerations we had to make uncomfortable decisions around discretionary services and what we could provide as a council and what we couldn’t.

“With Remembrance, it was very clear, even last year, that we did not have the capacity within our staff, or the budget, to be able to deliver that successfully in isolation.

“We reached out to partners, including people from within the community and the Royal British Legion themselves to support us with that process.

“We also fundraised to make sure that could happen and be a success but we have been very clear for the last two years that it’s not something we could sustain.

“Two key members of staff who supported the parade in previous years have left the organisation and have not been replaced and therefore unfortunately don’t have the capacity.

“What we have said to the Royal British Legion and others who have interest in the Remembrance parade is we will support in any capacity we can within the limited resources we’ve got and that includes through fundraising and my own personal time.”

Royal British Legion’s Camberley branch chair Patrick Mathe said the council was being cooperative and that was understandable it was no longer able to do what it had in the past.

However, questions remain if the parade can go ahead  if funding can not be found from elsewhere.

He said: “I’m only interested in doing everything possible to make sure Remembrance goes ahead.

“We will provide our ceremonial services as always and continue to remember and respect those who are serving our country.

“It would be a crying shame if it didn’t go ahead but everything possible is being done to ensure that it does.

“We have a lot of support, let’s keep our fingers crossed that everything will go ahead.”

The branch, established just one month after the formation of the RBL,  is planning a series of events over the next few weeks and beyond including celebrations of its 105th anniversary.

It has an exhibition lined up on June 20 at the Surrey Heath Museum and Heritage Services in The Square as well as a veterans tea party at the Cosy Corner Cafe on June 23, its birthday.