COUNCIL tax payers in Cumbria will have to shell out nearly £2 million extra to pay for policing in Cumbria this year, figures reveal.

Home Office data shows £46.9 million in funding for Cumbria Constabulary will come from council tax bills in 2021-22 – £1.8 million (four per cent) more than last year's £45 million.

A further £75.5 million will come from central government – up seven per cent compared to 2020-21.

Across England and Wales, a combined funding pot of £15.9 billion has been agreed for the current financial year – a 4.5 per cent real terms rise since last year.

But the Police Federation of England and Wales wants to see a multi-year funding plan implemented to stop forces operating "hand to mouth" through yearly settlements.

This is the fifth consecutive year in which police funding has increased in real terms, following a decline between 2010-11 and 2016-17.

It means funding is now only at a similar level to that seen in the year to March 2011.

Ché Donald, vice chairman of the Police Federation, said: "This 0.1 per cent real terms increase in a decade means police officers have failed to be properly rewarded for their hard work and been badly let down by successive governments.

“Police numbers dropped considerably during a period when most commentators would agree crime became much more complex, and the challenges and demands on policing increased significantly."