LANCASHIRE police could be forced to make £7million worth of savings due to a budget shortfall. Crime Reporter IAN SINGLETON tells of the fierce battle to avoid cutbacks. . .

LADIES and gentlemen: Let's get ready to rumble!

In the red corner we have two political heavyweights, Gordon 'Prudence' Brown and John 'Two Jags' Prescott. And in the blue corner are Lancashire Constabulary, the police authority, people of Lancashire, MPs and David Blunkett -- yes the Home Secretary is battling against cabinet colleagues.

It will be a fight to the finish and the future of Lancashire police rests on the result. The contest will be decided by the blue corner's ability to exact fierce political lobbying and win public support. But with the reds' strong chin and defiance, they remain the favourites.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it is the £7million Clash for Cash. This one could get ugly. This stand off has been sparked by decisions made by the Chancellor and Deputy Prime Minister.

Mr Brown is refusing to up the treasury's contribution to police budgets by more than 3.5 per cent (£6.4 million). But Lancashire Constabulary needs six per cent (£13.5 million) just to stand still.

In this situation, the county's police authority would normally look towards the council tax precept to make up the shortfall -- a rise of 15 per cent would be needed.

However, Mr Prescott is pledging to restrict council tax rises to just three per cent.

His decision is thought to have been taken in consideration of pensioners on fixed incomes and concern at the effect of big tax rises in a General Election year.

Lancashire Constabulary and the police are left in limbo, unable to get cash and looking to make cuts. Savings options are to replace office staff with frontline officers, share the mounted branch and underwater search team with other forces or stop replacing officers who retire.

Whichever option, it means the trend in recent years to build up the county's police resources, currently at record levels, will be reversed.

Mr Blunkett is so concerned that even he is believed to be lobbying the treasury for more cash.

Baroness Ruth Henig, chairman of the police authority and the national Association of Police Authorities, is leading the country-wide campaign for more cash.

She said: "We are putting an all-party early day motion through parliament. I know where the government is coming from with concerns about people on fixed incomes. But my sense of going around Lancashire is that people want us to put more officers on the streets and if we can't do that we will go backwards."

Baroness Henig is hoping that public meetings being staged across the county over the next month will show that council tax payers are happy to pay the extra £13 a year required.

Brian Aldred, chief executive of the police authority, said he felt it was right to ask people to pay more because Lancashire has the fourth lowest police council tax bill in the countryand the county's force has 500 officers below the national average.

MPs across all parties said the government, not council tax payers, should find the cash.

Burnley MP Peter Pike said: "At a time when the government are making a great play on the importance of law and order they should find the money to maintain Lancashire police and its specialist services."

Hyndburn's Greg Pope added: "I don't think it should be down to the council tax payers of the county but to the government to find the money needed to maintain services. I shall be lobbying Gordon Brown."

Ribble Valley MP Nigel Evans said: "The government is responsible for ensuring the effectiveness of the Lancashire police and it shouldn't try and transfer the responsibility of the poor down-trodden council tax payers of East Lancashire. I will join Greg Pope in lobbying the Chancellor."

Round one is under way with public meetings. The fight will finish on March 15 when the police authority sets its budget. Expectation is a victory for the government heavyweights and the resultant need for £7million of cutbacks in Lancashire.

But never write off the underdog -- especially if the police authority gets the support of the public.