The Chairman of Gloucestershire Police Authority has moved to allay fears of further funding cuts in the Force – despite serious concerns from the Chief Constable that the failing to raise the council tax precept could require £1.3 million of extra savings.

Rob Garnham (pictured) said that the decision over whether to raise cash from council tax revenues would not be taken lightly – and members would fully consider all the facts.

But he said that Government money would be available to plug the gap if the precept was not raised – which could be more amenable to residents. The Police Authority will determine the council tax rise and its financial strategy on February 9.

Mr Garnham was speaking after Gloucestershire Chief Constable Tony Melville said that the Force was "potentially in the middle of the perfect storm".

The Chief Constable said he was concerned that the police authority might not be considering raising the council tax precept, adding that this could mean more cuts.

He stressed: "Never before in my 34 years of policing have I experienced an issue which has galvanised officers and staff in the way this has and I feel compelled to respond."

CC Melville pointed out that the police authority had set out an £8 million savings package in the year before the Comprehensive Spending Review while a further £16 million worth of cuts were agreed when the review was announced.

He said that a precept freeze could mean a further £1.3 million of savings, adding: "We are cutting much, much deeper than was ever intended by the CSR". His fears are shared by both the Police Federation and the Superintendents' Association, both of which have written to the Police Authority.

However, Mr Garnham said the goverance body was committed to setting a financial strategy to maintain current service levels and continue to drive down crime.

He added: "The situation this year is compounded by the fact that the Police Authority will not be in existence to set future budgets, nor follow through our current financial strategy.

"In November the public will vote for a Police and Crime Commissioner who will be responsible for setting the police budget and the level of police precept.

"For the Authority, the decision is not just about accepting the grant or avoiding cuts. It is about how to phase the changes over time in the financial circumstances."

Mr Garnham maintained that a council tax rise "would not be met with overwhelming appreciation" by residents facing redundancy or who had lost their jobs.

He said: "We have asked for two options to be presented to us, both aiming to meet the challenge facing us. The bottom line is that they effectively mean the same thing, except in one, the zero tax increase option brings £1.3m of government money into the county thereby maintaining the same level of funding as was originally planned for this year.

"To arrive at a solution that preserves the required funding to maintain policing services will not be an easy one. It is not a decision that can be made lightly, but it will be one that is made after consideration of all the facts."