The 4% Council Tax increase imposed on Luton residents will raise £2.4M in the current financial year yet figures reported to the Council’s Executive on Monday 1 June show they have £2.6M left over and unspent from last year and so the increase was not necessary.

“Now it’s official. Last year Luton’s Labour Council took £2.6M more than they needed from Council Tax payers and this year they are taking another £2.4M more than they need.” says Liberal Democrat leader, David Franks.

“During the last Council elections they promised to keep any increases at or below the national average,” said LibDem leader David Franks. “They’ve gone way over the national average in both of their annual budgets and now the truth is out, they did not need to increase the Council Tax this year at all”.

“With Gordon Brown’s recession meaning most local families have to count every penny they spend, the very least our Labour Council can do now is to promise that next year there will be no increase.”