Local elections 2023: Labour to launch pledge to freeze council tax for one year - what has Keir Starmer said?

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer is set to launch a new council tax pledge ahead of the local election in England this spring.

Starmer will announce a plan to freeze council tax for 12 months during a visit to Swindon on Thursday 30 March. It comes after the party criticised the Conservatives for slashing council budgets and implementing "flexibilities" to raise council tax.

Council tax rates are set to increase across the country, with bills increasing by 4.99% in three quarters of councils from April. You can find out how much your council tax bill will be increasing by using our interactive tool.

The party will aim to fund the council tax freeze with a "proper" windfall tax on oil and gas companies. This includes raising the tax rate to 79% and backdating it from January 2022.

Starmer said: “There is a choice on tax. A Tory choice – taxes up for working people, tax cuts for the 1%. Or a Labour choice. Where we cut business rates to save our high streets and where, if there was a Labour Government, you could take that council tax rise you just got and rip it up.

 “A Labour Government would freeze your council tax this year - that's our choice. A tax cut for the many, not just for the top 1 per cent.

 “So take this message to every doorstep in your community: Labour is the party of lower taxes for working people. That’s the difference we can make. That’s the choice in May. A better Britain.”

New analysis released by the Labour Party has shown that on average Labour-controlled councils charge £345 less than Tory-controlled councils. It has also shown that the average Band D council tax bill is £72 lower in Labour areas compared to Conservative areas.

During his trip to Swindon, Starmer is also expected to speak about Labour's commitment to reducing energy bills and closing the non-dom tax loophole to fund staffing within the NHS and breakfast clubs in primary schools. The party will also aim to reverse the recently-introduced pension reforms which have removed the lifetime allowance limit.

The party says that the pension reforms benefits the richest 1% of pension savers with an additional £1 billion. Starmer said: “We’ve got to send a message to this Government: What they’ve delivered to our country after 13 years in power is nowhere near good enough.

 “Just look around Britain. Seven million on NHS waiting lists. Crime – totally unpunished. The biggest hit to living standards – the cash in your pocket – on record. Does anyone honestly think that Britain can’t do better than this?”