IT’S NOT usually a letter people look forward to being delivered but, like me, households across Crawley will have now received their council tax bills for the coming year.

Council tax bills in England hit a record £1,439 a year for an average Band D home last April and, over the past 13 years, they more than doubled under Labour.

This year, I am grateful that Conservative-run Crawley Borough and West Sussex County councils, along with Sussex Police, have worked with the Government to take advantage of its offer to fund a council tax freeze.

A 0% rise is very welcome and I congratulate Conservative councillors for passing this. However I am dismayed that Crawley Labour councillors described this move as an “attack on Crawley and its residents” and voted against the council tax freeze budget.

Unfortunately, this attack on the council tax freeze is also opposed by the Labour leadership too – I think their words speak for themselves.

Henry Smith MP, Crawley Constituency