The Tories have pledged to spend £1.3 billion a year to ensure all pensioners get discounts on their council tax bill if the party wins power at the general election.  

The money will be raised from proposed £4 billion savings from Whitehall cuts and will be implemented in the party's first Budget.

The council tax discounts - an average of £340 a year - would be available to around 3.8 million pensioner householders.

Party leader Michael Howard claimed the property based charge has hit older people hardest because Labour has used it as a "stealth tax" to raise funds for services.