LOCAL people are being urged to attend a vital consultation exercise on budget pressures facing North Yorkshire County Council and police covering England's largest county.

Senior councillors and officers will outline the county council budget for the coming financial year at the county committee for Hambleton at county hall, Northallerton, on Monday, 5pm.

Council leader Coun John Weighell said: "This is an important time for the county council. We want to explain to local people the kind of spending pressures we are facing in the near future.

"We also want to find out from as many people as possible their views on how the county council is performing in terms of spending the council tax. This is an important opportunity for local communities to have their say on the work of the county council and our future plans."

It will then be the turn of North Yorkshire chief constable Mr David Kenworthy to explain the financial pressures facing the force, following a warning by the police authority that the public may have to choose between fewer officers or an increase in the police element of the council tax bill for the coming year.

The problem has arisen because the government grant for the new financial year starting in April will not fully bridge a budget shortfall caused by a soaring pensions bill for retired police officers.

The authority expects there will still be a shortfall even after it has reviewed all areas of spending for savings.

The number of North Yorkshire officers will hit a record level of more than 1,420 by March 31. This will be 100 more than in January last year, but the authority has warned that the main options to bridge the budget shortfall will be a reduction in the number of officers or an increase in the police share of the council tax precept.

Police officers contribute 11pc of their earnings towards their pensions, but a warning that the rising cost of retirement pay-outs could cripple the force budget was sounded at the November meeting of the authority.

Representations about the need for government help in dealing with pension costs have been made to North Yorkshire MPs and to Home Secretary Mr David Blunkett, who visited Bedale in November.

The authority is also still waiting to hear whether it will be reimbursed through the so-called Bellwin scheme, a government contingency fund for national emergencies, for the cost of investigating the Selby rail disaster.

Chocs blocked

AN enraged MEP has expressed "utter disgust" that Spain and Italy had flouted a European parliament directive and were still banning British chocolate.

Mr David Bowe, MEP for Yorkshire and Humber said: "Here in the heart of my constituency, some of the finest chocolate in the world is manufactured and exported and I believe it is disgraceful that these two countries have stepped out of line and are blocking chocolate from Britain."