 The merger would see council tax rise, Mr Prentice said |
People in Lancashire would have to pay more for policing if the county's police force merges with Cumbria, an MP has said. Pendle MP Gordon Prentice told the House of Commons the merger would mean higher council tax bills in Lancashire, with people in Cumbria paying less.
Home Secretary Charles Clarke has proposed merging the forces as part of a reorganisation of policing in the UK.
Home Office minister Paul Goggins said bills would even out in time.
Mr Prentice said the section of council tax earmarked for the police would rise by 13% in Lancashire but decrease by 22% in Cumbria.
'Wholly unacceptable'
This was to balance out an historic gap in the amounts charged in each county, he added.
"I just wonder how this is going to be equalised out because it would be wholly unacceptable for Lancashire council tax payers to be paying through the nose for this merger with Cumbria," he told the Commons.
Mr Goggins said the government was aware of the problem and was working to find a solution.
"As forces come together then clearly there will have to be some process of equalising the precept over different authorities and that will need to be done in a careful and thoughtful and planned way," he said.
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