Elmbridge will keep as much money as possible in its pockets through council tax, council leader John O'Reilly said last week.

Predicting that local government would continue to bear the brunt of central government austerity, Coun O'Reilly recommended council tax be frozen.

The budget for 2015-16 was unanimously agreed at a full council meeting on Wednesday, February 25.

Coun O'Reilly said: "In a way this budget speaks for itself. It is a budget that freezes the Elmbridge share of the council tax for the seventh out of nine years.

"It is a budget that provides and protects all our services. There are no reductions, no cuts, none at all and it is a budget that provides an above inflation two per cent increase and that is to our 11 core-funded voluntary sector organisations, that provide such incredible support and comfort to so many in our community in Elmbridge.

"It is a budget for all Elmbridge residents and one which balances our priorities, makes our resources go further and keeps as much money in the pockets of our residents as is possible."

He described the council as "confident but never complacent, hard headed but never heard hearted, compassionate but never self indulged" and commended the budget to be approved.

Councillor Stuart Selleck, leader of the opposition, said the council was due to have reserves of £14.29m in reserves at the end of March 2015, but currently had £17.21m.

He said: "Every year we are warned of the perils to our finances, but somehow every year we seem to end up with more money in the bank. Residents may well ask at some stage when they might benefit from all this money."

Speaking about the seventh freeze in nine years, he said: "The two years it was raised there just happened to be no local elections in Elmbridge."

Coun O'Reilly said the central government grant per resident had been reduced to £29.24, with a total spend of £128 on each person.

Elmbridge Council has lost more than 50 per cent in Government grant funding in recent years, with a 15 per cent reduction in 2015-16 alone.

The freeze on borough council tax follows the approval for a 1.99 per cent rise in Surrey County Council tax, which was formally adopted on February 10.