Bedfordshire: Bedfordshire County Lib Dems say NO 2 ID Cards

10.15.04am GMT Fri 1st Dec 2006

The Liberal Democrats on Bedfordshire County Council are calling on the council to resist the government's introduction of ID cards. Deputy leader of the Lib Dem Group Cllr Susan Gaszczak has put a motion to council to ensure that resident's data is protected and access to services will not require ID cards.

Cllr Susan Gaszczak said 'ID Cards are expensive, intrusive and ineffective. They will cost each person in approximately £290, £200 in taxes that have already paid and £90 to obtain their ID cards. They will contain huge amounts of personal data that will be readable by many different organisations. ID cards will only increase identity theft. They have already proved to be ineffective. In Madrid and New York, the bombers had ID cards.

Council will debate my motion on 7th December. The motion calls upon the County Council not to require residents to have an ID card to access services unless the law requires them to do so and that the council will oppose the introduction if these cards. This waste of money, time and privacy should be stopped and the more people, councils and organisations who stand against them the more forcefully the point will be put across.'