People in Lancashire could end up paying more for policing if a proposed merger between the Lancashire and Cumbria forces goes ahead.

Cumbrians currently pay £155 per year in their council tax towards policing, while Lancastrians pay only £107.

A merger could mean council tax payers in Lancashire paying more, according to acting chief constable of Lancashire Constabulary, Steve Finnigan.

He said: "I understand that politically this is an important issue that we need to get resolution on."

Preston MP Mark Hendrick said the cost of policing was a relatively small part of the council tax bill less than ten per cent of the total bill.

He said: "What will happen is there will be a common precept, with people in Cumbria paying a bit less and people in Lancashire a bit more, it will be somewhere in the middle.

"Over time the administration costs should fall and release more funds to support front line services."

South Ribble MP David Borrow said he would be seeking clarifications on the arrangements for council tax to see whether harmonisation between the two counties could be introduced gradually.

Mr Finnigan said he would seek financial support from the Home Office for the £16m merger so potential savings could be ploughed back into policing.

The merger would also mean job losses in the force "If we are going to bring two organisations together, there will be job losses, you can't have two of everything," said Mr Finnigan.

Lancashire Constabulary employs 3,618 police officers and 1,897 staff, and Cumbria has 1,200 officers and a staff of 800.

The merger looks likely following recommendations to Home Secretary Charles Clarke. It was the preferred option of Lancashire police above an alternative to merge with both Cumbria and Merseyside.

The Home Secretary told constabularies they could volunteer for the mergers by February 28, or face statutory procedures on March 1 to force through the changes.

He was acting on recommendations from Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary that larger forces are required to deal with large incidents like terrorism and murder.

The mergers form part of a wider agenda to regionalise public services.