Saying No to Identity Cards

9.11.00pm GMT Fri 15th Jan 2010

"We need to send the message that we do not want our civil liberties eroded and will not pay for the pleasure," said Perry Barr Councillor Karen Hamilton.

Lib Dem councillors have persuaded Birmingham City Council to maintain its opposition to ID cards. Concerns about the scheme included its enormous cost, the erosion of civil liberties and the absence of any proof that it would help to reduce crime and terrorism.

Councillor Karen Hamilton (Perry Barr), who proposed the motion, said: "We need to send the message that we do not want our civil liberties eroded and will not pay for the pleasure."

"Before we start looking at further systems we need to make sure that the ones we currently have are working correctly and fit for purpose instead of adding another failing system to already failing systems."

Since 2006 there has been so many climb downs, so many failures, and so many delays but the government still refuses to scrap the scheme. The government had continually said that ID cards would be compulsory, but by June 2009 the compulsory roll out of identity cards was cancelled and instead a voluntary scheme was proposed. Even this voluntary scheme, which was supposed to be rolled out to people who live and work in Manchester, was delayed.

Commenting on the Government's announcement that people from Manchester could apply for an ID card as part of the pilot scheme, Chris Huhne MP, Lib Dem Shadow Home Secretary, said:

"Where once we were told ID cards would fight terrorism, crime and illegal immigration, they are now being touted as a billion pound way of helping students get into bars."

"The discredited ID cards scheme should be scrapped immediately and Ministers spared from having to come up with ever more preposterous ways to promote them."

The Lib Dem motion was also supported by Conservative and Respect councillors. But Labour councillors opposed the motion on a show of hands and then refused to vote when a named vote was called.

The full text of the motion adopted by Birmingham City Council at its meeting on Tuesday 12 January 2009 is set out below:

"This council reaffirms its resistance to Identity Cards. Despite widespread political and public opposition, the Government appear intent on pursuing the implementation at a reported cost of £4.74billion for British and Irish Nationals and an additional £311million for Foreign Nationals over the next 10 years.

• Abolishing this invasive scheme would save enough money to employ 10,000 more police on our streets.

• The new IT systems implemented at the Post Office, Passport Office, Probation Service, Police Service, Courts Service and Child Support Agency have all run massively over budget, the ID card scheme would be the biggest and most expensive public sector project ever undertaken.

• The implementation of the NHS computer system has cost billions and resulted in the reduction of frontline services as maternity and A&E departments are closed across the country.

• The ID card will undermine the contract between the Police and the Public resulting in an increase in harassment and discrimination

• There is no proof the ID card will help fight crime and terrorism - tests have proved that criminals have the capability of duplicating ID cards with little or no difficulty, rendering the ID card worthless.

• There is no proof it will prevent illegal working, the fact that illegal immigrants will not be able to get ID cards will not change anything as long as there are unscrupulous employers and lax Home Office enforcement.

Given the UK's current financial situation, the financial lost to the individual and implications to civil liberty this council objects to the implementation of ID cards."