Fareham Conservative council candidate Andrew Murphy's leaflet draws scorn for making claims that are a decade out of date

A row has erupted after a Conservative election leaflet boasted of freezing council tax for ten years – but failed to say this happened ten years ago.

Leader of the Fareham Liberal Democrats, Cllr David Hamilton, slammed the pamphlet, which said the Tories have “frozen council tax for seven years”.

Fareham Borough Council confirmed to the Local Democracy Reporting Service that council tax was frozen between 2009/10 and 2015/16.

Cllr Hamilton said the statement published on the leaflet promoting Conservative Cllr Andrew Murphy is misleading because the overall bill has continued to rise in recent years.

In March, the Conservative-led administration agreed on a 2.99 per cent increase in council tax.

Cllr Murphy said the leaflet highlights the council tax freeze previously achieved by the party - but Cllr Hamilton said it is concerning for this leaflet to be delivered only weeks before the local elections.

He said: “There’s always a responsibility during an election to get the facts right. We’re challenging a claim that just doesn’t reflect what residents actually pay.

“People know their bills have gone up year after year. Elections should be about honest debate, not selective claims.”

Cllr Hamilton added: “The Conservatives are relying on a very selective claim about a small part of the bill from over a decade ago. The reality is your overall council tax has gone up by quite a bit year after year. People expect a bit of political knockabout during elections, but claims like this go beyond that.”

The leaflet from Cllr Murphy was delivered to residents living in the Titchfield Common area.

He said Fareham Borough Council “has a record of keeping council tax low and protecting services from cuts” and rebuked the statement made by Cllr Hamilton.

He added: “The Lib Dem record, in contrast, is one of shifting responsibility onto smaller parish councils, meaning that residents there see a ‘double whammy’ of council tax hikes of up to 12 per cent. Fareham cannot afford the Liberal Democrats.

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“Cllr Hamilton should be more concerned with the escalating council tax and debt incurred by Eastleigh Borough Council and other neighbouring Lib Dem authorities, which have increasing council tax and increasing debt.”

In the 2025/26 financial year, Fareham council had the second lowest council tax in Hampshire and the fourth lowest across all district councils in England.

Local elections will take place on May 7.