MANY police stations across Cumbria are to close as the constabulary looks to plug a £20 million black hole in its finances.

Stations at Ambleside, Kirkby Stephen, Milnthorpe and Dalton-in-Furness will shut with buildings sold to help the force cope with a 20 per cent fall in income.

At a meeting to decide the future of the constabulary’s estate, authority chairman Ray Cole said: “The way Cumbria is policed has changed dramatically over recent years, and officers are no longer reliant upon static police buildings.

“The traditional view of a police station is no longer a reality. Officers spend the majority of their time in the community, leaving many of our buildings oversized, underused and outdated.”

Authority chiefs believe Kirkby Stephen, Milnthorpe and Ambleside police stations are too big and will sell the main building while keeping hold of adjoining annexes to be used by Neighbourhood Policing Teams.

Dalton station will be sold and the force moved to the town’s fire station while Barrow station will close when a new building and custody suite are created in the near future.

The authority believes the sell off will save £119,000 a year in running costs and raise up to £2.8 million. At the same meeting it was decided that a public consultation will go ahead on whether the police authority should raise its council tax precept for the year 2012/13 to offset the £20.3 million savings the force must make by 2016.

Members discussed a potential rise of up to four per cent which would ask Band D property owners to pay an extra £7.71 a year.

Accepting a £1 million grant from the Government to shield the tax payer from potential hikes was also discussed but authority members were minded not to accept the money.

Chairman of Cumbria County Council John Wolley described the Government’s money as a ‘bribe’ and would only cushion the blow for tax payers for one year.

But member Reg Watson said: “We have got an unstable government and we don’t know what’s going to happen in the coming years.”