CHIEF Constable Della Cannings has turned down an invitation to attend a council meeting to discuss concerns over the rise in the police force's precept.

Members of Scarborough Borough Council's resources overview and scrutiny committee were alarmed by North Yorkshire Police's increase in its proportion of council tax bills for the coming financial year.

Responding to residents' concerns, they invited Ms Cannings and the authority's chairwoman, Jane Kenyon, to Wednesday's meeting to explain the reasons for the 76 per cent increase.

But the police authority wrote to the council saying that they would not attend the meeting.

Yesterday, a spokesman for Ms Cannings defended the decision and said she would not attend.

He said: "There have been a series of public meetings throughout the Scarborough and Ryedale area, to which councillors and residents were invited to attended and meet Ms Cannings and the then-head of finance, Bernard Flynn.

"Everybody across the whole of the county had an opportunity to go to public meetings and have their say before the force's precept was set in February. The authority cannot go back on a done deed and this cannot go on forever."

Council members decided at the meeting to write once again to Ms Cannings and invite her to meet with the chairman, Councillor Peter Popple.

A council spokesman said: "A letter will be sent to the authority asking for clarification of the precept and for another meeting."