Labour will suffer in local polls, McCartney admits

Ian McCartney, the new Labour Party chairman, published its local election manifesto yesterday and admitted the party faced a difficult fight in next month's polls.

Mr McCartney denied the elections would represent a referendum on Tony Blair's handling of the war in Iraq but warned: "It is going to be a tough election out there for us. It is a mid-term election. Every Government suffers mid-term."

The party's manifesto, launched in Birmingham, concentrates on the record of Labour local authorities across Britain. It follows Labour's strategy of concentrating on doorstep issues, promising investment in housing, improvements to parks and streets and action to tackle antisocial behaviour.

But it also includes sharp attacks on the Conservatives, claiming they presided over high average council tax rates while planning cuts in public services. The document also lambastes Liberal Democrats as "opportunist and unprincipled, prepared to say anything to get elected".

Mr McCartney was joined by John Prescott, the Deputy Prime Minister, Alan Milburn, Secretary of State for Health, and Hilary Armstrong, Chief Whip. Mr Prescott said: "This Labour Government stands proud on its record of delivering more teachers, more nurses and more police. Gordon Brown's Budget last week means we can build on those achievements. Councils are central to the transformation of local communities. They play a leading role in building stronger [ones], in improving local services and in cracking down on anti-social behaviour. But all these achievements are under threat from the Tories. Iain Duncan Smith has confirmed their plans for a 20 per cent cut across the board in public spending. This is the equivalent of cutting one in five nurses, teachers and police officers."

Eric Pickles, the shadow Local Government minister, said: "The Government's own figures show Middle England have been attacked by Labour's council tax increases, with ordinary families in ordinary homes receiving £1,000 Band D council tax bills for the first time. Under Labour, Band D council tax bills have increased by 69 per cent since 1997, showing to all of us the true cost of New Labour.

"Conservative councils still deliver better local public services, without charging higher taxes, as evident from data from the independent Audit Commission."