A promise by Luton’s Labour Councillors to keep increases in Council Tax in Luton down to below the national average has been broken for the third year in a row.

Why Believe Labour’s Pledges? Asks Liberal Democrat Prospective Parliamentary Candidate Councillor Qurban Hussain

Labour regained control in Luton promising residents that they would keep any increase in Council Tax at or below the national average.  The pledge featured prominently in their Manifesto, with supporting statements from Council Leader Hazel Simmons.

The pledge was one of 7 commitments highlighted on a summary page “Seven for 07”.  Despite this, Labour Leaders have gone for above-average rises in all three of their Budgets so far – with this year’s 1.94% rise comparing to a national average of 1.6 0%.

Liberal Democrat Councillor and Luton South PPC Qurban Hussain says:

It would be unkind to accuse Luton Labour Councillors of cynically lying to the electorate about their tax plans when they set out their stall to run the Council again.  But they are certainly paying no attention whatsoever to what they said.

For the third year in a row, they have set a rise above the national average.  With a deep recession underway, people can little afford to pay the price of Labour mismanagement and a Council out of control.

Meanwhile, Councillor Simmons and her group are reducing services to Luton residents having voted themselves 87 percent pay rises. This latest budget is a clear indication of Luton Labour’s inability to lead, and of the ease with which they discard their promises.

What we really need to do is to scrap the unfair the Council Tax and introduce a local tax system based on local resident’s ability to pay. If the Labour Party really did believe in fairness they should do this without delay.

With the Conservative vote crumbling nationally and with no Councillors in the South of Luton at all people need to lend their support to the Liberal Democrats to make sure we do not reward Labour for the damage they continue to do to our community.”