FUNDING a police presence in Moulton is in limbo while more information is gathered.

Moulton Parish Council is considering whether or not to continue paying £5,900 for a village PCSO in 2016.

Councillors were not expecting to be asked for any money for the next financial year following a police restructure but have received a letter asking for the arrangement to continue.

Moulton shares funding with Davenham and both parish councils are debating what to do as their regular PCSO is on long term sick leave, and the stand in officer's beat is Shakerley, which includes Lach Dennis, Allostock and Lower Peover.

Cllr Nick Harris, from Moulton Parish Council, attended a meeting with Cheshire Association of Local Councils (ChALC) and the police and crime commissioner to discuss the issue further.

"Various issues were raised about the way in which things are going to work in the future," he said.

"A question was asked by Sankey Parish Council, and I came in on it as well, about long term absence.

"Sankey pays £44,000 because they have four PCSOs so they were very upset about the cover they were getting."

He said that one parish council has a clause in its service level agreement about absenteeism.

"Before we sign it we might need to ask for that clause to be put in," he added.

Cllr Harris also said he was surprised to hear how funding for PCSOs works in other areas of Cheshire.

He said: "Interestingly enough there is about 70 parishes within the Cheshire district and of those 47 pay for a PCSO and 23 don't pay.

"Therefore the question was asked 'what happens to the ones that don't pay?' - well the police will still have to cover the area because it's an obligation from the police authority that there's adequate cover and liaison going on."

He added: "The parishes that pay do have a say in what they want their PCSO to do."

ChALC will be sending minutes of the meeting to parish councils and Moulton Parish Council decided to wait until it has seen the minutes before it discusses the issue further.