Michael Howard has launched the Conservative Party's local election campaign with a pledge to cut through red tape and bureaucracy.

As both main parties step up their activities ahead of June's elections, the Tory leader attacked government policies on local councils.

At an event in Birmingham he said that Tory-run authorities charged an average £53 per year less in local taxes than Labour or Liberal Democrat councils.

Key objectives in the party's manifesto include opposition to the establishment of regional assemblies and increasing the independence of local councils by reducing the amount of government funding that is ring-fenced.

In addition, Howard pledged to reduce bureaucracy by abolishing the Comprehensive Performance Assessment and the "best value" system, while supporting the roles of district auditors in tackling corruption in local government.

"Local government should be independent and accountable," he said. "Local government should offer value for money.  So we have to cut through the red tape and bureaucracy that pushes up costs.

"Local government should promote opportunity for all and show compassion for those who need our help.

"But it should also step back when people need to take control for themselves.  Above all local government should live up to its name.  It should be genuinely local.

"It should have the ability to adapt to what local people want, so we need to set it free from the shackles of the state. 

"These are the principles that guide our approach."