A proposed 3.8% hike in Barnet council tax bills has sparked fresh opposition claims that the Labour administration is breaking a key manifesto promise.

Tory group leader Dan Thomas claimed Labour’s pledge to repay a 1% tax increase made under his Conservative administration had been a “deception” after a report published this month proposed a bigger rise in bills than was planned just over two months ago.

But council leader Barry Rawlings has strongly denied the accusations, claiming his Labour administration “will refund the Conservatives’ 1% council tax hike in next year’s bills and ensure council tax does not go up by the legal maximum, exactly as we said we would”.

Before Labour’s local election triumph in May, the then-Conservative council administration froze core council tax for 2022/23 but approved a 1% increase in a ‘precept’ used solely to support adult social care. Refunding this 1% rise was a central pledge of Labour’s local election manifesto, which also promised to keep council tax low.

A council report published in September pencilled in a 0.99% increase in council tax for 2023/24, describing it as a “1.99% increase reduced by 1% to reflect a rebate of the 2022/23 increase to residents”. A 1% increase in the adult social care precept was also proposed.

However, a new report to be presented to the policy and resources committee on Tuesday reveals plans to consult on hiking core council tax by 1.8% and the social care precept by 2% in 2023/24 – and contains no reference to the rebate.

Cllr Thomas said: “Labour have clearly broken their pledge to refund 1% council tax, and now they are adding a total of 1.8% extra to next year’s council tax bill. Their promises to issue a refund and keep council tax under control were simply a deception.

“The speed at which they added 1.8% to next year’s bills have revealed their true tax-and-spend colours. We are calling on Labour to stop their spending spree, make efficiencies and freeze next year’s council tax”.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s Autumn Statement gave councils the power to increase core council tax by 3% and the social care precept by 2% from April next year without holding a referendum. Previously, the increases had been capped at 1.99% and 1% respectively unless voters approved a larger rise.

The Conservatives previously accused the Labour group of breaking its pledge over council tax in October after learning that the refund would be enacted by deducting 1% from council tax bills for the 2023/24 financial year. Labour said repaying the money directly would have cost around £200,000 to administer.

After denying the Conservatives’ latest claims, Cllr Rawlings said he was confident that Barnet would have “one of the lowest council tax increases in London”. He added: “The only people engaged in ‘deception’ are the Barnet Conservatives, who are well aware that their Conservative government raised the cap on council tax increases in the Autumn Statement on 17th November.”

The council leader claimed the government was forcing local authorities to raise council tax to pay for “critical” services such as social care instead of providing the necessary funding. He added that during the policy and resources committee meeting he would ask the Conservatives to “show some political leadership and help influence the local government settlement due on the 21st December”.

Cllr Rawlings said: “I call on Cllr Thomas and the Barnet Conservatives to join us in lobbying the government to provide the money councils so desperately need for frontline services, to support our residents in financial crisis and keep council tax down.”

If the committee agrees the proposals set out in the report, the council will launch a six-week consultation on the 2023/24 budget, including the tax increases, in the week beginning 19th December.