Barnet councillors have clashed over a council tax refund and hikes to service charges against the backdrop of the cost-of-living crisis.

Tory councillors slammed the increases to fees and charges – most of which are in line with inflation – and claimed Labour had U-turned on its manifesto promise to refund a 1% rise in council tax.

Labour denied the claims, pointing out that the council was providing financial support for residents and blaming the Conservative government’s mini-budget for “crashing the economy”.

The row came during a full council meeting on Tuesday. Conservative opposition leader Dan Thomas said Labour’s response to the cost-of-living crisis was to “rack up fees and charges across the board”. He added: “This is an opportunistic increase in charges just because inflation happens to be at 10% […] It’s fleecing our residents at a time when there is a cost-of-living crisis.”

Cllr Thomas urged the administration to look at “efficiencies” and freeze charges “across the board”.

Labour’s Emma Whysall hit back at the claims, accusing the Tories of criticising “inflation rate-matching” increases in fees and charges when they had been planning above-inflation rises.

Cllr Whysall told the meeting the Conservatives had previously voted to increase councillors’ pay, which was reversed by the Labour group after it won power. Labour, she said, had also scrapped some special responsibility allowances for councillors, adding: “We don’t expect Barnet residents to pay more for councillor allowances when many are choosing between heating and eating.”

Labour voted in favour of the increases in fees and charges, with the Conservatives voting against.

Later on in the meeting, councillors discussed a motion tabled by Labour’s Simon Radford stating that the government’s “disastrous” mini-budget would have a “devastating impact” on frontline service users in Barnet and the council’s ability to support people in need.

Cllr Radford told the meeting the mini-budget was a “gratuitous act of economic self-harm” that had added to existing economic “fragility”. He also slammed the government for “cutting the UK off from its largest trading partner without a plan”.

In response, the Tory leader said Labour was using national issues to distract people from what it was doing locally. He claimed the number of Barnet residents hit by increases in parking charges and “extra planning fees” would “far outnumber” those who would be eligible for help from the council’s £2m resident support fund.

Conservative Emma Wakeley criticsed the council’s decision to spend “an estimated £80,000” on a citizens’ assembly on climate change and biodiversity.

Tory deputy leader David Longstaff tabled a motion calling on the council to refund the 1% rise in the adult social care council tax precept during the current financial year. The increase in the precept was approved by the previous Tory administration. Last month, it was revealed that the tax rise would be refunded by deducting it from next year’s bills.

Cllr Longstaff said council leader Barry Rawlings had previously pledged to deliver the refund this autumn. Claiming Barnet residents had been “misled”, the Tory deputy leader added that the true value of the refund would be “hidden in next year’s council budgets”.

In response, Cllr Rawlings said £2million – equivalent to the 1% increase – would be returned to residents in a “targeted fashion” this year through the resident support fund. He added that there would also be a 1% reduction for all council taxpayers next year. To have brought it forward would have cost an extra £200,000, Cllr Rawlings explained.

Both Labour and the Conservatives backed a motion tabled by Cllr Thomas calling for the council to freeze the £70-a-year charge for garden waste collections, which was introduced under his Conservative administration.

Proposals set out at the policy and resources committee last month included a plan to save the council £153,000 by hiking the charge to £80.

Environment and climate change committee chair Alan Schneiderman amended the motion claiming the increase was already being planned by the Tories. But he subsequently withdrew the amendment, and Cllr Thomas’ motion to keep the charge at its current level for the remainder of the current council administration was approved unanimously.