Surrey County Council has published its draft 2021/22 budget, which contains a proposed Council Tax increase of 2.49%.

Under Government rules SCC could have increased bills by up to 5%. The authority says the rise has been pegged back in recognition of the effect of the pandemic on the finances of many Surrey residents.

In a statement announcing the draft budget, the authority said: "Transformation of the council over the last three years has put the organisation in a strong financial position – giving security and certainty to Surrey's response to COVID since last March.

"The council has worked alongside partners through the Local Resilience Forum in managing what has been an ongoing major incident. It has met the cost of PPE delivered to the frontline, given financial support to the care and voluntary sectors, helped vulnerable residents, and provided staffing resource to help the county through the pandemic.

"The draft budget also recognises the ongoing impact of COVID and long-term recovery, with huge investment over the next five years that will help boost the local economy and meet future challenges."