AN increase in the cost of policing of between £10 and £15 a year for most householders in East Lancashire from April 1 has been confirmed with a warning of another big rise next year.

This came despite fears this might be 'unsustainable' for many people.

The county's Police and Crime Panel approved the rise in the levy on council tax bills by the maximum 6.34 per cent for 2023/24 when it met on Wednesday.

It will add £15 to the bill for owners of a typical Band D semi-detached family home and £10 to the annual bills of the Band A terraced houses common across East Lancashire for 2023/24..

But police and crime commissioner Andrew Snowden warned councillors on the panel which oversees his work of another rise for 2024/25 of £10 on a Band D property and £6.66 for a Band A home.

During the meeting Pendle's Cllr David Whipp and Blackburn with Darwen's Cllr Quesir Mahmood questioned the impact of the proposes rises.

But Mr Snowden said the rise with the use of £3.9m of reserved and £7. 9m of back office savings was vital to protect front line policing.

Liberal Democrat Cllr Whipp told him: "The level of council tax, especially in a relatively poor area like Lancashire, has become increasingly unsustainable and this sort of increase is not going to sit comfortably."

Mr Snowden replied: "Policing will have to be paid for by taxation either way. Whether it comes out of council tax or income tax.

"We've protected front line policing in the budget."

Labour's Cllr Mahmood said: "I think the 6.3 per cent increase is adding a significant burden on the residents across Lancashire where the level of earnings isn't the same as in some of the southern boroughs.

"You are saying that the government expectations are that the council tax precept for 2024/25 will increase by £10 and no increase in council tax is assumed for 2025/26.

"Would it not be more prudent to have the spread out of that across 25/26 which we all hope would probably be the turn of the economic crisis and people are likely to be in a much better situation?"

Snowden: "The reason is because that is the period of the funding settlement.

"If I don't put it up by £10 in 2024/25 and then we don't get the level of funding we expect out of the next financial settlement then I will be left here looking very red faced explaining why I am cutting front line police officers."