CHESHIRE Police is considering raising its precept by five per cent to save £13 million.

Later this month, the force will find out how much cash it will receive from the Government for 2018/19 and beyond.

It is understood the Government is intending to release the usual three per cent cap on precept charges nationally.

In November, David Keane, Police and Crime Commissioner for Cheshire, wrote an open letter challenging the Chancellor Philip Hammond to give the Cheshire force fairer funding.

In his letter, Mr Keane outlined the severe pressures being faced by the force.

Mr Keane said: “We want to be able to deliver a strong, visible and efficient force capable of managing current crime and emerging threats to our safety.

“Unfortunately if the Government does not give Cheshire Police a fair funding settlement, then, to put it bluntly, the thin blue line in our region could be stretched to breaking point and we will be forced to lose as many as 80 officers on our frontline or increase the precept.”

If the precept – one component of homeowners’ annual council tax bills, which also include local authority, fire and parish council tax – is increased then that would equate to around 18p per week – for the average home.

Mr Keane said that, while putting the burden of police funding increasingly on local taxpayers, it could allow Cheshire Police to go a long way to maintaining police numbers.

David said: “Raising the precept by as much as five per cent would obviously not be an easy option. We want the Government to share the burden, not simply pass it across to local people like it seems to be doing.

“But it’s important we gauge views on our future funding, and look at how we can continue to remain fully focused on efficiency whilst delivering on the policing priorities of the people of Cheshire, such as having a visible police presence in every ward in our communities.”

Over the past seven years, Cheshire Constabulary has made huge savings of more than £60 million.

Earlier this year the force increased its policing precept by 1.99 per cent for 2017/18.

Analysis by the Police and Crime Commissioners Treasurers’ Society shows Cheshire Police has suffered a cash cut of 23 per cent since 2010 and a real terms cut of 37 per cent.

A flat cash settlement from the Government could mean that, over the next three years, Cheshire Police will need to find further savings of at least £13 million – around £4 million in year one, £5 million in year two and at least a further £4 million in year three.

Mr Keane said: “Combined, that’s over £73 million worth of savings in just over a decade, which is quite simply unsustainable.

“By generating savings of more than £8 million every year over the last seven years, we’re at a point now where more than 76 per cent of the police budget for Cheshire is spent on officer and staff pay.

“Added to that, we have had to fund ourselves 1 per cent of the recent 2 per cent pay award, so the financial burden is intensifying.

“The Constabulary has done an incredible job to find the savings it has by improving processes, finding efficiencies through stronger collaboration and by streamlining the estate to generate long-term savings.

“However, it has now exhausted nearly all of its options for efficiency savings."

A public consultation has now begun to see if communities across Cheshire would support a five per cent increase in the precept.

The consultation will take place between Thursday, December 28, and Wednesday, January 24, 2018.