LANCASHIRE Police is facing £4.2 million of cuts after the government failed to give the force enough cash -- and pledged to cap large council tax rises.

The funding shortfall is £2.8million less than feared -- but the threat of cutbacks to the mounted branch, underwater search team and back office staff remains.

Baroness Ruth Henig, chair of Lancashire Police Authority, said the only hope of avoiding cuts was a campaign of political lobbying over the next three months to persuade the government not to cap large council tax increases.

She added: "It is a higher percentage increase than we thought but it is still not enough. It is not as bad as we feared but there is still a lot of work to be done to avoid cutting police services.

"At lot of this will hang on what we can do with the government.

"Public support will help but the struggle is going to be pressuring the government.

"We are due to meet local MPs and that will be the first step to lobbying the Home Office and Office For Deputy Prime Minister about what level council tax increase to allow."

The Treasury has announced that Lancashire Constabulary's funding would increase by 4.3 per cent (£7.9 million) for the financial year 2005/6.

That is better than expected as it was originally thought the force would receive three per cent extra.

However police needed £13.5 million to standstill, so the improved settlement still leaves a £5.6million shortfall. Financial bosses from the force are currently working through the figures to discover the full ramifications.

But it would appear that the the police council tax precept needs to raise by 12 per cent to cover the £5.6million shortfall -- yet the government is currently pledging to cap increases to a maximum of three per cent.

A three per cent council tax rise would bring in an extra £1.38million -- so the force would be left with a shortfall of £4.2million.

A 12 per cent rise for a Band D Council tax payer's £100.70 bill would be £12.08 extra a year. A three per cent rise would be £3.02 more.

Baroness Henig added that she hoped the government would be receptive to their plea to increase council tax as the county's police precept was the fourth lowest in the country.