POLICE and crime commissioner Martin Surl’s proposals to increase council tax by 1.2 per cent were approved by Gloucestershire County Council's police and crime panel.

Despite speculation that Mr Surl intended to increase his precept by 1.9 per cent, the highest rise available without a referendum, he ultimately opted for a more modest hike.

The rise will provide an extra £560,000 to police - bringing the overall annual budget to about £106 million - and lead to the recruitment of an extra 40 full time officers and 200 special constables over the next four years.

Mr Surl said, “I am grateful for the support of the police and crime panel. We had an interesting debate and there was a strong feeling among the members that I should have set the precept higher at 1.9 per cent but there was no need.

"This is a modest increase in council tax that gives the chief constable what she asked for. It will enable her to meet her operational responsibilities and allow her to begin to develop her plan to return the force to the numbers required to police the county.

“I could have put the tax up by more as many of the panel members wanted, but a higher figure would have placed an unfair burden on local taxpayers who are facing further increases to pay for local council services”.

The proposals also include provision for 1 per cent of the policing budget to be made available for community projects and programmes managed through the Commissioner’s Fund, which already funds 242 local initiatives countywide.

The new precept works out at less than 5p per week extra on the annual bill for a band D householder.

To supplement a 1.2 per cent increase, a further £8 million will be released from police reserves and spent on intelligence systems and mobile technology and estate development, with some money held for short term projects and to mitigate any adverse outcome of next year's funding formula.