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As one South East police force prepares to take the Government to court over its funding, the Chair of its police authority says frontline services are suffering from budget squeezes.
Surrey Police seek Judicial Review
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Surrey Police Authority says it will seek a judicial review after Local Government Minister John Healey said it will cap its council tax precept for 2009-10. Chief Constable Mike Rowley says that will force him to cut 50 frontline operational posts. In addition, he says re-billing Surrey residents to account for the change will cost £1.2m to return just 6p a week for the average Band D property. Police Authority 'disappointed' Peter Williams, the independent chair of Surrey Police Authority, said: "I am extremely disappointed by the Secretary of State's decision. "As a Surrey resident and a businessman, the Government's nonsensical decision to force us to cut 50 frontline posts and to spend £1.2m in administrative costs to return 6p a week to each household, appears to be a total waste of public money and extremely unwise given the Government's own predictions of an increased demand on our services as we meet a likely rise in crime linked to the recession."
Chief Constable fears loss of 50 operational posts
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Mr Williams says forces across the South East do not do as well as forces in the north as a result of the government's funding formula. He joins us in the studio on Sunday. Elections Also, with just days to go before South East voters go to the polls to elect the politicians who will represent them on their county councils and across the Channel in the European Union, we focus on East Sussex. Conservatives have held power in East Sussex for the past eight years. We will be joined in the studio by Council Leader Peter Jones, Liberal Democrat group leader David Rogers and current Labour councillor Jeremy Birch. We will ask them about election issues from their own allowances and expenses, to how their distribute your council tax money in spending on services across the county. Have you got a question you would like to put to our guests? What do you think? E-mail the team via the e-mail form below... You can text the team on 07786 209252 during the show.
Election insights For more information on the forthcoming local elections and candidates visit the following County Council websites which carry a full list: Kent County Council
West Sussex County Council
East Sussex County Council
Surrey County Council
Watch the Politics Show on BBC One at 12:00 GMT on Sunday.
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