Council leaders have called for an urgent meeting with Government ministers following news that Surrey taxpayers will be expected to correct a £5million Whitehall error.

Nick Skellett, Surrey County Council leader, will insist residents are not made to pay when he attends a meeting with local government minister Nick Raynsford.

Mr Raynsford has announced his intention to take around £50million in funding away from county councils in order to correct a mistake last year which arose through a miscalculation of how many people lived in certain areas of the UK.

It will mean a loss to Surrey of almost £5million when the Government announces council grants next month.

Mr Skellett said: "The outcome will be simple, if we keep tax rises to the lowest possible rate, and have to make up this £5million mistake, we may not be able to fund schools at the required rate for the first time in history. This in itself is a sign of how serious the situation is.

"We are already facing massive financial pressures, thanks to the continued cut in grant Surrey has received over the past three years, and I will make no bones about when I meet with Mr Raynsford."

He added: "I will be insisting that Surrey taxpayers are not made to pick up the bill for this embarrassing error to suggest so is nothing short of outrageous, and we must tackle this head on if we are to ensure the best deal for residents. I will, of course, inform residents of the outcome in due course."