A RISE in the cost of firearms licences has been welcomed by Dorset's Police and Crime Commissioner.

Dorset taxpayers subsidise the administration of gun licensing by £250,000 a year.

The cost has been labelled 'absurd' by the county's PCC Martyn Underhill who has said he is pleased that the price of a licence will rise from April 6.

Mr Underhill wrote the David Cameron to express his 'disbelief' at a decision to reverse an agreed hike in the cost of applying for a firearms licence.

"Norman Baker, Government minister of State had agreed with the Treasury, Home Office, the Regulatory Police Committee and other government ministers to raise fees but this was vetoed by David Cameron," Mr Underhill said.

"I am pleased that the Home Office has finally agreed to raise the figures from April 6 when the cost of a firearms certificate grant will rise from £50 to £88 with a shot gun certificate grant increasing by £29.50 from £50 to £79.50. Across the County we manage over 14,500 fire arm and shot gun certificates.

"Dorset Police estimate the cost of granting a firearms license to be £218 resulting in a subsidy of around £250,000 per year by the Dorset taxpayer. Why so much? Well, on top of office and administration costs, local and national background checks must be completed on the applicant together with a face-to-face visit to ensure they are suitable. A costly and lengthy process.

"I’m pleased the campaign has seen some success; the increase in fees will see an extra £50,000 towards meeting our costs meaning the subsidy from the taxpayer will drop to £200,000.

"This isn’t about generating money to bridge our funding gap. It was about cost recovery, enabling rural police forces like ours to continue to deliver efficient and effective policing services.

"We shouldn’t expect the tax payer to subsidise the administration costs for individuals who own firearms."

Mr Underhill added that whilst the new higher charge will not cover the full cost of issuing licences, it is 'certainly a step in the right direction.'

"We need a sustainable process where the fees charged represent the cost of issue. I will continue to campaign and lobby government to stop this absurd public funded subsidy towards firearms license holders," he said.