Residents can expect a rise in council tax because of a lack of government funding for Surrey County Council.

The council says that the rise is due to the fact that it will only be receiving an extra £1.8 million in government funding from last year meaning it will have to charge a higher rate.

David Hodge, the deputy leader of the county council, said he would be asking for a 2.5 per cent increase in council tax.

He says that council tax makes up 80 per cent of the council's budget and it is needed for services such as education and care for adults and children.

He said: "We do have an increased number of vulnerable adults and children in need of specialist care and we do have increasing pressures on us because of a high-birth rate and having to build new schools."

For the average Band D tax payer a 2.5 per cent increase would mean having to pay an extra £27 a year for Surrey County Council's share of the bill.

This is in contrast to Mole Valley District Council which is not raising its share of the council tax at all for the coming financial year.

Residents were unsurprised with the proposals.

Mid-Holmwood resident Roy Theobald, 66, says he believes the county council has no other choice but to raise taxes.

"If there is no money, there is no choice, they have to get it from somewhere so it is inevitable under the circumstances.

"I'm not cheering, but I don't see it as a choice," he said.

And Jacqui Thomas, of Vincent Lane, Dorking, says that the increase would be acceptable only if it has a tangible effect.

"Obviously it is never nice to have an increase in council tax but if it is used in the right way and things can be improved, people don't mind paying if they know what it is going to," she said.

County Council leader Dr Andrew Povey spoke of his disappointment over the small increase in government funding – just 1.5 per cent. This compares to an average of 2.6 per cent in the country as a whole.

He said: "The people of Surrey expect to have a reasonable level of public services for a prosperous, modern society.

"The county council has ambitious aspirations on their behalf and the Government has failed to support them."