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Local Elections

Why are ID Cards a local issue?

ID cards are a local issue because they affect people's interaction with local government, and how local government spends its money.

The £5-20 billion estimated cost of the National Identity Register is only the cost to the Home Office of setting the scheme up and registering UK nationals and foreign residents. It does not include the cost of any integration of other systems.

There is an estimated cost of £200 per person for integrating local council systems with the National Identity Register, which must be met from council income - so either Council Tax will go up, or other services will be cut to compensate.

There will be pressure on councils to require you to carry an ID card to access services and benefits, the compulsion by stealth approach. Your council may agree to this, effectively forcing you into the Database State.

What about Local Elections?

At local election time, Manchester NO2ID tries to poll every candidate in every ward, to ask them the same questions about ID cards and the National Identity Scheme. The same questions are asked all around the UK for comparison purposes.

Where a council has recently voted on a motion to oppose the Database State, we will also include each incumbent councillor's vote on the issue, so they can be judged on their deeds as well as their words.

As a non-partisan group, Manchester NO2ID will not recommend voting for any one party. However, any candidate who does not oppose ID cards and the Database State wants to waste your council tax money and strip you of your privacy, and we would advise not voting for them!