A poster campaign costing hundreds of pounds advertising Merton's council tax freeze has been condemned by the opposition as a misuse of taxpayers' money to fund "political propaganda."

Nearly 40 of the large-scale posters costing £637 in total have appeared across the borough since Merton Council agreed to freeze council tax until 2019 at a meeting earlier this month.

Conservative councillors have lodged a formal complaint with the council's external auditor about spending taxpayers' money on the posters.

But Councillor Stephen Alambritis, leader of the council, has defended the poster campaign.

He said: "There's always a discussion about these things but if you're doing something you need to tell residents as well.

"It's equally important to do something as it is to say you're doing it and £637 is a modest sum to inform our residents that we are keeping to our manifesto pledges."

Merton Council agreed to freeze council tax for the next four years at a budget meeting on Wednesday, March 4.

£32m of cutbacks across public services over the same period were also approved at the meeting, in response to severe cuts to local authority funding from central government.

But the government's council tax freeze grant means Merton will receive an estimated £860,000 reward for freezing council tax this year.

Councillor Oonagh Moulton, leader of Merton Conservatives, said: "Residents will want to know why their hard earned taxes are being spent on promoting Labour’s political agenda.

"And how much money the council could have saved by renting out these billboards for commercial advertising instead.

"Labour wants it both ways. They blame the government for all their cuts one week only to airbrush out the government funding that enabled Merton's council tax to be frozen the next."

A council spokeswoman said the billboards are owned by JC Decaux.

The council is able to use one side of each panel to advertise local authority or community information at no cost.

But it cannot make any profit from advertising on the panels. 

Your Local Guardian:

'Frozen yet again': another poster advertising Merton's council tax freeze in the Broadway 

Coun Alambritis said: "It's interesting that they have done this [lodged a complaint] and that's because they want to hide the fact that we have frozen the council tax for the last five years and when they were in power they hiked up the council tax by £100."

Do you think the council was right to spend £637 on 38 posters in Merton? Comment below, or email louisa.clarence@london.newsquest.co.uk.