The deputy leader of Swindon Borough Council, Gary Sumner, has said his Labour opponents are making misleading promises.

With elections for the borough council on Thursday looking very competitive, Coun Sumner has attacked the messaging from both the national and local wings of the party.

The Conservative said: “Labour are telling whoppers and I hope the good residents of Swindon don’t fall for it.

“The biggest one comes from the very top with Sir Keir Starmer pushing out a headline of ‘freezing council tax’. Five minutes after he said this his Shadow Chancellor refused to commit to freezing council tax."

He then attacked the specific pledges made by the Swindon Labour group and its leader Jim Robbins.

“Coun Robbins wants to keep talking about the town centre, whilst we have been working on it. A £100m investment has led to cranes on the skyline and buildings going up. The draft Local Plan will prioritise the town centre’s regeneration and using brownfield sites.

“He promises house building ‘where we want it’ – the majority of housing sites in Swindon are already allocated and underway. We have removed sites that residents didn’t like. If he wants to remove allocated sites, the developers will see him in court.

"Labour want to cancel roadworks, which utility companies and other statutory undertakers have a legal right to do, perhaps he’ll keep the legal team busy?

“Coun Robbins sneers at the ‘warehouse and logistics sector’ as he did about Amazon. That’s a combined 14,000 jobs and on the former Honda site. It’s 37 per cent managerial and office as well as highly skilled robotics engineers.”

On Labour’s promise to ‘get tough on crime', Coun Sumner said: “The Police and Crime Commissioner has said knife crime is a priority for the new Chief Constable. Swindon’s Youth Justice Service has been rated ‘Outstanding’ this year with praise for how they are turning young offenders around.

Coun Sumner concluded: “This is a local election about how Swindon performs, cares for those in need and delivers for its residents.

“Under this Conservative administration we have consistently outshone the growth and employment prospects of many with a budget that protects our most vulnerable in the most difficult of times.

“Please don’t put at risk the thousands of jobs coming to our town, the investment in the town centre and the investment in training and education for young people in Swindon.

“Labour are absolutely making promises they cannot keep.”

Responding to the allegations, Coun Robbins said: “While the Conservatives concentrate on mud-slinging, Labour is focussed on how it will benefit the residents of Swindon.

“After 20 years of running the council, locals will rightly conclude the Tories’ record isn’t good enough – with Mead Way roadworks three years late, nearly half of council calls unanswered, and debts of more than £400m racked up.

“It’s time for a change and Labour has a plan to build a better Swindon. We will get Swindon moving, keep council tax low, build a stronger local economy, get tough with developers, and clamp down on the violent crime blighting our community.”