Conservatives in Oxfordshire have been forced to apologise after wrongly informing voters that Oxford City Council had increased council tax.

The local Tory party sent a letter to homes in West Oxford claiming the city council was the “only council in Oxfordshire to be increasing council tax”.

But the tax has actually been frozen.

Conservative election agent Matthew Barber, who is also the leader of Vale of the White Horse District Council, said: “This was actually a drafting error and not a deliberate attempt to mislead.

“We have apologised to the leader of the council and have issued a correction on our website.”