SENIOR police chiefs have reacted with disappointment at the level of funding given to Lancashire Constabulary by the Government.

They claim the 3.1 per cent increase is less than the amount needed just to fund existing pay and price increases.

Chief Constable Pauline Clare described the settlement as "disappointing" and said: "It leaves us facing a year of financial constraints if we simply wish to fund the pay increases which have already been agreed and the spiralling cost of pensions. There will be little else left which means once again we will have to meet our new investments through efficiency savings."

She added: "We are already looking at areas where some savings can be met but we have to be very careful that these do not impact on our operational effectiveness and, in particular, on the services we provide to the communities in Lancashire."

Police Authority Chairman, Dr Ruth Henig said: "This amounts to little more than a standstill settlement and it will leave the Constabulary facing some very difficult decision about the allocation of resources to operational policing.

"We will continue to work closely with the Chief Constable to see where savings can be made to finance some of the policing initiatives already planned."

The Chairman of the Police Authority Dr Ruth Henig has hit back at critics who claim the 118 per cent increase in the authority's allowances is excessive.

Last week the authority voted to increase their allowances budget from £87,000 to £190,000 with the Chairman picking up more than £16,000.

Dr Henig said: "There is certainly no hypocrisy over this issue. We were asked to bring our allowances into line with other police authorities and this we have done. The allowances being paid reflect the amount of hard work put in by authority members and also take into account the ever increasing demands on their time."

She added: "In establishing an hourly rate, the Home Office has assumed that authority members work an eight hour week, committee chairs work for 12 hours and I, as the authority chair, work a 16 hour week."