Increasing demand for social care services and government cuts mean the county council must save an extra £200million by the end of the decade, Surrey leader David Hodge warned today.

Surrey County Council faces “very tough decisions” and must cut £100million from its budget this financial year to balance its budget, he added.

The county’s elderly population is set to increase by 20,000 over the next three years, Councillor Hodge said today, while the council must also find extra school places for 11,000 children.

Cllr Hodge warned the county council of the challenges it faces as he unveiled his new cabinet today (Tuesday, May 23).

Your Local Guardian:
Surrey County Hall

The council had initially mapped out just under £170 million worth of cuts to be made by 2020 (pictured below).

Your Local Guardian:

Where the extra £30 million of cuts would fall has not yet been specified, a county council spokesman advised.

After telling the council chambers that his thoughts were with those affected by the Manchester terror attacks, he said: “While there may be occasions when our political views differ, what unites us must always be a shared sense of civic duty.

"We were elected to represent and serve the residents of Surrey the best we can.”

He added: “The pressures we face are very real – but they do not remove our duty to the most vulnerable in our society.

“We will have to continue to have to work more closely with other organisations, change the way we do things and constantly test that we are providing residents with value for money.”

From March: Surrey County Council plans to cut millions of pounds from frontline services in face of Conservative austerity

The government has cut Surrey County Council’s annual grant by £170 million since 2010, while demand for adult social care, learning disabilities and children’s services is increasing.

The council has responded by slashing its budget by £500million in the last five years, but in December was forced to dip into £24.8 million of reserves – its largest ever planned use of reserves – after blowing its budget by £15 million.

From December 2016: Surrey County Council forced to dip into 'largest ever use of reserves' to address £15 million overspend

From February 2017: Surrey County Council leader U-turns on plans for 15 per cent tax increase minutes before vote

Its financial pressures meant Surrey County Council’s Conservative administration considered a council tax increase of 15 per cent to balance its budget before abandoning the idea.

In March, the cabinet announced nearly £72million of cuts to adult social care, highways, health, and children, school and families budgets over the next five years to offset the sustained government cuts.

The £72million worth of cuts, set to take place between 2017 and 2020, were revealed at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday (March 28) as follows:

• Adult social care - £25,443,000

• Children, school and families - £28,880,000

• Public health - £3,290,000

• Business services, orbis and customer services - £2,234,000

• Environmental infrastructure – highways and transport - £2,458,000

• Environmental infrastructure – place development - £8,763,000

• ‘Other’ (legal, strategy and performance, democratic, communications, and strategic leadership) – £732,000

Got a story? Get in touch at craig.richard@london.newsquest.co.uk