Councils in Surrey will defy accusations of ‘democracy dodging’, and raise council tax in April in a bid to safeguard services.

Epsom and Mole Valley councils on Tuesday night joined Reigate and Banstead council, Surrey Police and the county council in voting to increase council tax by 1.99 per cent from April in a bid to safeguard services.

The councils turned down a grant, equivalent to a 1 per cent increase, which the Government offered in return for freezing council tax.

In Epsom and Ewell the rejected grant on offer was £51,000. The hike will bring in £103,000 a year, costing the average household 6p more a week.

Councillor Neil Dallen, chairman of the strategy and resources committee, was unable to give specific uses for the funds but said it would protect services for social centres, parks and the town centre.

Mr Dallen said: "Any cuts would be to services that residents really want.

"That’s why we are doing all we can to try and stop that.

"Each year we seem to survive but it’s getting tighter and tighter."

He pointed out freezing tax would make the council a quarter of a million pounds worse off in three years time.

The Government is cutting core funding to the council by 11 per cent, or about £300,000, in 2013/14.

Mole Valley council turned down the council tax freeze grant of £62,000 in favour of raising council tax in order to gain 'long-term financial stability'.

Both councils also passed budgets for the next financial year.

Local government and communities secretary of state Eric Pickles had said councillors had a 'moral duty' to maintain the freeze.

He accused those raising council tax to just below the 2 per cent threshold needed to trigger a referendum of being 'democracy dodgers'.