HOUSEHOLDERS in South Lakeland will face increases of 5.4 per cent in their council tax this year pushing bills for Band D properties over the £1,200 threshold for the first time, reports Justin Hawkins and Ellis Butcher.

Cumbria Police Authority yesterday (Thursday) completed the council tax picture by setting its increase at 14.97 per cent.

The Police Authority's rise has flouted Government guidelines to keep increases to five per cent and the authority could now face capping by ministers.

Even with its 14.97 per cent rise, Cumbria Constabulary will still be forced to radically scale back ambitious plans to put another 70 bobbies on Cumbrian beats in the year ahead. Instead, it will hire just 12 new officers for its high-profile community policing initiative called Local Policing Teams. Funding all 70 places planned in the second year of the four-year initiative to hire an extra 300 officers would have led to increases of around 30 per cent.

As it stands, the increase will mean Band D households will pay £150.28 a year to the police, up 37p per week on last year.

However, a recent survey by polling organisation MORI showed that 59 per cent of 500 Cumbrians questioned would have gladly paid at least 46p a week more for extra bobbies and better policing.

"Disappointed" Chief Constable Michael Baxter said: "Paradoxically, we are already delivering what the Government is proposing for the future style of policing but we are not being resourced to deliver that, and we are not being allowed to raise the money from local council taxpayers for what they want."

Cumbria is among 20 police authorities out of the 43 in England to ignore Government guidelines and the hope is that the ministers would not dare cap them all.

Police authority chairman Reg Watson said he had "done his homework" and was fairly certain, "though not 100 per cent" sure that the Government would not intervene to cap the constabulary's spending. He said the £86 million budget was a "compromise" between the low tax demands of the Government and the policing ambitions of the authority.

Council tax bills are shared between the police and South Lakeland District Council, which take around 12 per cent each; Cumbria County Council, which takes around 75 per cent; and town and parish councils, which take around 1.7 per cent.

SLDC set its increase this week at 3.9 per cent while CCC has agreed a 4.3 per cent rise.

The SLDC increase means an average Band D property will contribute £141.37 to the authority £5.37 a year, or 10p a week more than last year.

Councillors approved a £12.1 million budget, which includes £233,600 of extra spending and maintains a working balance of £1 million.

Council leader Colin Hodgson said it included provision for some extra spending on services and better delivery.

"No one welcomes an increase in the tax they have to pay but the Cabinet feels that it is acceptable when it enables improvements in service to be made."

Spending plans will include an extra £133,600 to the kerbside recycling scheme and £50,000 set aside for maintaining council-owned public buildings.

SLDC is in line for a cash windfall after the Government agreed that second home owners should only receive a ten per cent discount from their council tax, rather than 50 per cent.

The authority will benefit to the tune of £856,000.

The money has not been allocated yet but members were assured some of it could be spent on affordable homes.