I.D. Card Motion (Leicester City Liberal Democrats)

Leicester City Liberal Democrats <joan.garrity@leicester-libdems.org.uk>

I.D. Card Motion

September 24, 2008 10:05 AM

I.D. cards will cost the taxpayers up to £18 billion

Councillor Peter Coley, leader of the Lib Dem group will place a motion forward to Octobers full council meeting regarding I.D. Cards.

The motion reads:

This council believes that:

The planned Identity card scheme and the National database which underpins it will do little, if anything, to prevent terrorism, fraud or crime in general and in fact will detrimentally alter the relationship between the individual and the state whilst costing taxpayers up to £18 billions which could more usefully be spent on providing thousands of additional police officers.

Council further notes that:

Whilst there is no suggestion that the current government intentionally seeks a mechanism for the potential state abuse of human rights there is always the risk that some future government may use the knowledge and power that this scheme will concentrate in their hands to the detriment of citizens, both locally and nationally.

It is estimated that 80% of citizens contact with the State is via their Local Authority so this council, like others, will be in the forefront of the implementation and use of ID cards and the National identity Register.

How this Authority reacts will have a major effect on the schemes operation and the impact it will have on the lives of Citizens of Leicester.

Many Local Authorities right across the political divide have decided that it is not in the best interests of constituents to involve themselves with the ID scheme.

Even our MP's have voted against their Governments bill at its second reading and recently the Trades Union Congress pledged to resist the National identity Scheme "with all means at it's disposal"

Leicester City Council therefore resolves:

Not to require recipients of services supplied by Leicester City Council to produce an Identity card as a condition of receiving those services, except where legislation is introduced to force the use of Identity cards in specific circumstances.

To take no part in any pilot scheme or feasibility work in relation to the introduction of the national identity cards.

The motion will be seconded by Cllr. Hussein Suleman.