EAST Lancs residents will be asked for their views on paying more council tax to provide a funding boost for police.

Police and crime commissioner Clive Grunshaw is to consult with the public after proposals to raise council tax precepts were approved at a police and crime panel meeting.

Under a funding settlement announced by policing minister Nick Hurd last week, bosses were told any new funding had to come through raising the precept.

They were given powers to raise it by a maximum of £12 per year - 23p per week on the average bill.

In order to determine how much to raise the precept by, Mr Grunshaw has approved spending £12,300 on a consultation where people will also be asked about policing priorities in Lancashire and how they prefer to contact the police.

Mr Hurd revealed the latest financial settlement for police forces across the country, with next year's central grant funding allocation to Lancashire increasing by £6.8 million.

But Mr Grunshaw said it does not even cover the increase to employer pension contributions for policing, announced in September.

Mr Grunshaw said: "Through this announcement the government has once again failed to provide additional money towards front line policing, with any additional money from central government covering the costs of the unfunded increase in police pensions, which undermined all previous planned budget assumptions."

"Once again the government has passed the buck onto council tax payers and failed to address the concerns raised up and down the country that after eight years of budget cuts, removing £84m – equivalent to over 25 per cent of the budget in 2010/11 - from policing in Lancashire with a further £18m still to find over the next few years.

"The ability to invest in our policing teams and meet the pressures on the service is completely reliant on raising council tax by the highest amount we can.

"The government know this and once again are failing to be honest with the public, failing to address the actual cause which is years of austerity in policing."

While most police force funding comes directly from central government, around 30 per cent is drawn from council tax through the policing precept levy.

Unveiling the provisional funding settlement of up to £14 billion for 2019/20, home secretary Sajid Javid said demand pressures on police had risen this year as a result of "changing crime".

He said: "Since becoming Home Secretary I have been clear I would prioritise police funding, and today I have delivered on that promise.

"Taken together, this substantial increase in police funding will enable forces to continue recruiting, fill crucial capability gaps such as in detectives, meet their genuine financial pressures, drive through efficiency programmes, and improve their effectiveness by preventing crime and delivering better outcomes for victims of crime."