Families could be forced to pay more for police services after a "dire" funding allocation proposed for next year.

And a senior councillor has warned "tough choices" will have to be made as West Yorkshire Police Authority tries to balance its budget.

Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott has been told the Government's provisional financial settlement to the authority creates "serious implications" over the next two years.

The Government will be told without a rethink it will weaken the force and hit police services to people in Bradford and the rest of West Yorkshire.

The authority has been told the Government proposes a £306.5 million allocation for next year - a 3.4 per cent increase.

And Mr Prescott has warned the authority will be capped if it increases the precept it charges on the council tax bill for services to more than five per cent.

Today the authority's vice-chairman, Bradford Councillor Clive Richardson, said it had asked Mr Prescott's office for a re-think because the settlement would cause major problems.

He added: "It will create a shortfall which cannot be met by our reserves. On the other hand the authority could not increase the precept by more than five per cent because of the threat.

"That leaves us with some tough choices at a time when people say they want to see more police on the streets.

"Some members have descr-ibed the situation as dire. It gives us £144 per head of population compared with Northumbria which has £165. Ours is the lowest allocation for a metropolitan authority. It is serious.

"I don't think any member would want to reduce numbers of police officers and that wouldn't happen but a very large amount of money would have to be found from somewhere."

He said the authority was expected to provide 128 extra community support officers next year but there was nothing to pay for the accommodation, uniforms, lockers and technology they would need.

Coun Richardson said the force was also being asked to improve its process of reporting back to victims of crime.

"We are having to respond to quite a lot more Government requirements but haven't got the resources to do it," he said.

The police precept went up by 4.9 per cent last year and another five per cent rise next March would mean a policing bill of £112 a year for residents in the average B and D band council tax properties.

Bradford Council expects to increase its own share of the Council Tax by about five per cent but make cuts totalling about £417,000.

Mr Prescott has said there should be no need for precept increases of more than five per cent if police authorities plan their financial affairs properly.

A Home Office spokesman said £4 billion had been invested nationally in policing in the past five years.

"Nationally every police authority has had an increase of at least 3.2 per cent this time and West Yorkshire has had 3.4. They need to make written representations," he added.