ELECTION fever is already gripping Waverley's Conservatives as they blame the inflation-busting council tax increase on the Labour government.

Leader of Conservative-controlled Waverley Borough Council, David Harmer, turned up the political pressure this week as he blasted the proposals from Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott to cap increases in council tax.

If Mr Prescott's proposals go ahead, councils which have set large increases in council tax could be pulled into line under three possible options - limits put on the council tax increases, a baseline budget set for next year's council tax increases, or imposing restraints while giving councils some flexibility over their budgets.

Mr Harmer told The Herald: "John Prescott's department determines the grant support given to each of the councils so what's the point of his turning round and complaining about the increases they have been forced to make to their council taxes. It's ridiculous."

Mr Harmer added that Waverley's increase of nine per cent was "tiny" in comparison with other councils and would be "unlikely" to be affected by the proposed capping legislation.

His attack came as Waverley residents learned they will face a brutal 18.9 per cent increase in council tax - adding hundreds of pounds to their annual council tax bills.

For the first time ever, council tax payers in the average Band D will see their bills break the £1,000 barrier this year.

The massive increase is made up of hikes of 40.1 per cent from Surrey Police Authority, 17 per cent from Surrey County Council, and the nine per cent from Waverley.

This week, the deputy leader of Waverley, Pat Frost (Cons), also put the blame on the government for the council tax increase.

She claimed the government was "punishing" the borough council for its good record.

Mrs Frost said: "The Labour government, supported by the Lib Dems, has turned council tax into a stealth tax.

"They have rigged local funding to take resources away from good councils - shifting it to their cronies on badly run councils."

Waverley Borough Council and Surrey County Council received the lowest possible increase in its government grant this year, at just 3.7 per cent.

Some councils in the Midlands and the North were given grants increased up to the ceiling level of 17 per cent.

And the Conservatives in control of Surrey County Council criticised the Labour government last week, when they accused it of "starving the county of essential funds".

The Conservative group went on to claim that the brunt of the poor grant settlement would be borne by council services which would be deprived of £39 million of government funding.

No one at Surrey County Council was available for comment about how the proposed capping could affect its services as The Herald went to press

Local MP for SW Surrey, Virginia Bottomley also commented on the council tax increases this week. She said: "This is the inevitable consequence of the government's vindictive funding settlement. They have deliberately placed our local authorities in a most invidious situation. Waverley has relentlessly sought to eliminate waste and achieve value for money. "Yet again the government is imposing additional responsibilities on the local authority without providing the financial means.".