COUNCIL tax payers in Gloucestershire could be asked to contribute an extra £3.99 this year for the police precept.

The figure is the equivalent of a 2 per cent increase in council tax on the average Band D property, and is one of the proposals in a draft budget currently being prepared by Police and Crime Commissioner Martin Surl.

He is seeking the views of the public, business and other local organisations but the deadline for comments expired on Monday this week (January 28). He will ask the county's police and crime panel to confirm the budget when it meets next month. 

Along the options under consideration are:

An increase of one per cent = £2 p.a. for an average Band D householder and will raise around £450,000.

An increase of two per cent = £3.99 p.a. for an average Band D householder and will raise around £900,000.

An increase of three per cent = £5.99 p.a. for an average Band D householder and will raise around £1.35m.

 "The question of the council tax cropped-up many times during the election campaign and I promised I would be transparent, so I am trying to get as many views as I can before making a final decision,"said Mr. Surl.

"Everyone knows how hard it is to make ends meet at the moment but all of the options under consideration are less than the 3.9 per cent increase the Police Authority was planning as part of its mid-term financial strategy. 

"On the one hand the Government is suggesting we freeze council tax but on the other it has reduced our grant by nearly two per cent. That means that if we leave the tax as it is, we won't be able to absorb the cuts the Government expects us to make next year and in subsequent years without affecting frontline services. 

"Because of future spending restrictions the government has in the pipeline, this could be our final chance to raise money to invest in the service for some time to come."