Cumbria's crime commissioner wants to put up the police share of the county’s council tax bill.

Richard Rhodes is proposing the police slice of the cost should increase by 1.91 per cent.

The increase would add £4.05 to the annual bill for a band D property in Cumbria, taking the total police element to £216.

A report says the plan "aims to mitigate some of the impact of the planned reductions in Government funding". 

It raises the possibility of changes to a funding formula. 

Mr Rhodes presented his proposed budget to the police and crime panel, which supported his plans. 

Mr Rhodes said: "Not only does the increase in precept allow policing numbers to be maintained it also prepares for the expected changes that could be introduced before April 2017.

"That said, I welcome the removal of some of the threats to police funding that were apparent in mid-October."

Previous planned changes were at the centre of controversial planned cuts that prompted a warning from police chiefs and a Times & Star campaign.

The Times & Star campaigned against the scale of planned cuts, with a petition backed by 14,471 people delivered to Downing Street.

The feared cuts had involved a change in the formula used to fund police forces, potentially leading to the loss of £9.5 million.

But the Government later shelved controversial changes.

Mr Rhodes will agree the final budget at a meeting on February 16.