Cuts to the police budget have been stopped by Lib Dem councillors on the Police Authority.

12.00.00am GMT Mon 1st Mar 2010

Conservative council members proposed to reduce the existing budget requested by the Chief Constable. The cuts proposed of around £200,000 would have only saved the council taxpayer 75p a year yet would place the policing and security of our area at risk.

Chippenham Lib Dem Councillor, Chris Caswill said: "I am afraid that that kind of gesture politics is what we can look forward to in the future".

The police are continuing to make deep savings further exposing the peculiarity of this decision by the Conservatives.

Councillor Caswill added: "This extra reduction, just to fit Conservative party policy, was a bridge too far for me and my colleague. I am glad to say that one of the Conservative members agreed with us, as did all the independent members. We stuck to our guns and in the end the cuts were rejected".