Tories today fired the opening salvo in the election war in Sussex, saying council tax increases had cost every home almost £2,000 since Labour came to power.

Figures released by the party show families in Sussex now pay almost twice as much council tax as in 1997 because of annual rises in the levy.

Added together, they have cost families living in band D homes in Brighton and Hove £1,926 since Tony Blair swept to power.

The city has borne a heavier toll than much of the country because of the Government's weighting of budget settlement in favour of the traditionally impoverished North.

The average increases in England total £1,716 since 1997.

This compares to just £1,039 for people living in Scotland.

The average annual bill in Brighton and Hove has risen from £599.24 seven years ago to the present £1,162.

This is still less than the £1,329 for neighbouring Lewes and £1,185 in Worthing.

The issue of so-called 'stealth taxes' will be central to the Conservatives' election campaign and council leaders admit the rising cost of council tax is starting to hurt.

The Conservatives in Brighton and Hove hope to turn council tax into a major election issue, claiming people cannot afford such huge bills.

David Logan, the party's candidate for Brighton Kemp Town, said: "The typical family in Brighton and Hove has lost £1,926 in higher council tax bills.

"This is despite Tony Blair's pledge that he had no plans to increase tax at all.

"I am very concerned about the cumulative impact of property taxes - in the form of soaring council taxes, rising stamp duty and greater inheritance tax liability.

"On top of this, belts are having to be tightened because of rising water and energy bills.

"I doubt any household believes their public services have improved by the same amount as their local tax bills have soared."

Simon Burgess, lead councillor for finance in Brighton and Hove, said the city was working hard to keep future council tax rises below ten per cent.

He said: "We do recognise that council tax has gone up so much, which is why we worked so hard to keep it down last year.

"I never underestimate how much difficulty there can be for people on low and fixed incomes to meet their council tax responsibility.

"The settlement we were given from the Government has meant there are particular difficulties in this city. But we do not by any means have the highest council tax in the country."

David Lepper, the Labour MP for Pavilion, hit back at the tax hike claim, saying the Government was working to reform the "unfair" council tax.

He hopes to meet Local Government minister Nick Raynsford at the Labour Party conference in Brighton later this month to demand a higher grant for the city.

He said: "The council tax was a Tory invention and it is this Government that is looking at reforming it to make it fairer - that process is well underway.

"One of the things the Chancellor Gordon Brown has done in his budget is to give extra payments to council tax payers over the age of 70 to help with their bills."

The Liberal Democrats, who are yet to choose a candidate for Kemp Town, have led calls to scrap the council tax.

They want to replace the property-based levy with a local income tax reflecting ability to pay.

Paul Elgood, leader of the Lib Dems in Brighton and Hove, said the Tories were jumping on the council tax bandwagon.

He said: "The Tories are being hypocritical.

"We believe the council tax is an unfair form of taxation which was introduced by the Tories to replace the disastrous poll tax - this is their tax and we're lumbered with it."