More than 250 extra police officers are to be recruited in West Yorkshire.

But households across the district will be asked to pay an extra £13 each on their council tax to cover the cost.

West Yorkshire Police Authority yesterday voted for a 2003/2004 budget which will pay for 267 new officers and 200 extra police community support officers.

The community support officers will help West Yorkshire Police maintain a high visibility on the streets but do not have the same powers as fully trained officers.

Extra staff will also be recruited to the high-tech crime unit at a cost of £110,000 to meet the demands of an increase in the number of paedophile investigations.

However, authority members vetoed some of the extra spending plans put forward by the force - leaving its new Chief Constable Colin Cramphorn to reconsider how he will use his £345 million budget next year.

Many authority members were concerned that the original budget put forward by the force for 2003/2004 demanded too big an increase in the amount council tax payers contribute towards policing - a jump of more than £20 a year to £97.

The amendment eventually agreed will mean a council tax Band D household paying £88.81 for policing, an increase of £12.89 over the year or 25p per household per week.

Members cut around £5 million from the budget originally put forward by rejecting requests for extra spending on special branch officers, Operation Stirrup - which concentrates on Caribbean drug and gun crime - a major investigation team and a fraud squad asset tracing unit. They have also allowed for smaller than requested increases in spending on communications staff and forensic tests and equipment.

One of Bradford's representatives, Coun Clive Richardson (Con, Thornton) said he was concerned that despite the extra officers being recruited, West Yorkshire would still continue to lag behind other metropolitan forces on the number of officers per head of population.

He was reluctant for the budget originally put forward to be reduced.

"I believe we have to support the Chief Constable. The police are underfunded and understaffed."

But he said efforts to increase officer numbers would continue to impact on the police's council tax precept - and warned that West Yorkshire householders could face much larger increases on their bills in the next few years.

He was accused of scaremongering by Leeds councillor and former authority chairman Neil Taggart who said: "This budget does represent an increase in growth for the force. This police authority has a long history of supporting the force, modernising the force and equipping the force."

And Coun John Ruding (Lab, Tong) said: "This is a £7 million increase in the budget and that is a handsome sum for any Chief Constable."

Mr Cramphorn will give detailed comments on the budget agreed at April's meeting of the authority.