SPECIAL constables in Southampton are set to get a 100 per cent council tax discount despite police chiefs refusal to back the proposal.

Police paymasters today refused to give their blessing to the scheme on the advice of the county’s top officer.

Chief constable Alex Marshall ruled that limiting it to specials living and serving in Southampton “would be potentially divisive” and may affect how they could be deployed to work in other areas.

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He said he supported the proposal in principle but added: “In practice, I believe that applying the exemption to one area of the force goes against our ethos of fairness and equality for all."

However he said Hampshire Constabulary would provide Southampton City Council with details of any special constable who wishes to benefit after refusing to co-operate last year.

Hampshire Police Authority considered the exemption as it met today to set its £314m budget for next year.

Chairman councillor Jacqui Rayment said the majority of members spoke against the proposal.

She said: “We support the chief constable’s view this would be divisive and limit operational flexibility.

“We are not trying to be awkward, but we have a duty of care to all our special constables. If the exemption could be applied across all areas we would have no problem with that.”

The scheme has the backing of senior Southampton officers who are keen to boost the city’s team of 65 specials.

Conservative council chiefs hope the introduction of the council tax exemption for special constables, worth between £941 and £2,823, would be a “massive incentive” to help to recruit up to 25 more of the volunteer officers, who have full police powers.

It would result in a drop in council tax revenue of around £100,000.

Last year authority members ruled scheme was “discriminatory” against other worthy volunteers and would be unfair to other Hampshire specials living outside Southampton.

There were also concerns about paying for extra radios and body armour.

Councillor Royston Smith, who is responsible for community safety in the city, wrote to all authority members and Hampshire Constabulary urging their support.

Cllr Smith said: “There isn’t a police chief in the land that wouldn’t want more officers. The presence of more uniforms on the street, that they don’t have to pay for, has got to be a good thing.”

He said ruling Tories in Southampton would now introduce the discount as part of the council's budget, to be set tomorrow.