Issue - meetings

This council notes that:

·      The Government intends to implement mandatory photo voter ID at the local elections in May 2023.

·      Over 2 million voters are estimated to need the government-issued voter ID cards^[1].

·      Only 10,000 people have applied so far for these, representing just 0.5% of those who might need the new cards^[2].

·      Parliament’s Joint Committee on Human Rights have said that the impact of the proposals may fall disproportionately on those with protected characteristics^[3].

·      The Electoral Reform Society has called the project ‘an expensive distraction’ which may disproportionately disadvantage already disadvantaged groups. They say that the Government’s own figures suggest that this project will cost £180,000,000 a decade.^[4]

·      The electoral commission have been given a budget of £5,650,000 to spend on advertising, resources and research for this project^[5].

·      The Local Government Association has expressed serious concerns about the implementation of this project for May 2023 and is calling for a delay^[6].

·      The Chief executive of the Association of Electoral Administrators has raised concerns about the safety of staff in polling stations.^[7]

·       

This Council believes that:

·      Any democratic deficit could be better addressed by reaching out to the estimated 9 million people who are currently not on the electoral roll at all, or by seeking to raise electoral turnout, rather than putting up barriers to voting.

·      The Government should abandon this costly project which will undermine, not enhance, democracy.

·      At the very least, the Government should delay implementation, to avoid the risk of significant disenfranchisement.

This council resolves to:

·      call upon the Government to:

o   delay the requirement for photo ID in the May 2023 elections

o   give serious consideration to scrapping the project entirely and focussing on other actions more likely to improve democratic engagement

o   undertake to cover fully the additional costs arising for councils due to the implementation of the Elections Act 2022

·      Ask the leader to write to our Cambridge MPs informing them of this motion and asking them to share our concerns with Central Government and ask the Leader to write to Michael Gove asking him to act.

·      Publicise this motion and do all it can locally to urge voters to make sure they have the necessary voter ID.

Councillor A. Smith proposed, and Councillor Nethsingha seconded the following motion which had been altered under Council Rules no:26 (alteration of motion), deleted text struckthrough, additional text underlined:

This Council notes that:

·      The Government intends to implement mandatory photo voter ID at the local elections in May 2023.

·      Over 2 million voters are estimated to need the government-issued voter ID cards^[1].

·      Only 10,000 people have applied so far for these, representing just 0.5% of those who might need the new cards^[2].

·      Parliament’s Joint Committee on Human Rights have said that the impact of the proposals may fall disproportionately on those with protected characteristics^[3].

·      The Electoral Reform Society has called the project ‘an expensive distraction’ which may disproportionately disadvantage already disadvantaged groups. They say that the Government’s own figures suggest that this project will cost £180,000,000 a decade.^[4]

·      The electoral commission have been given a budget of £5,650,000 to spend on advertising, resources and research for this project^[5].

·      The Local Government Association has expressed serious concerns about the implementation of this project for May 2023 and is calling for a delay^[6].

·      The Chief Executive of the Association of Electoral Administrators has raised concerns about the safety of staff in polling stations.^[7]

This Council believes that:

·      Any democratic deficit could be better addressed by reaching out to the estimated 9 million people who are currently not on the electoral roll at all, or by seeking to raise electoral turnout, rather than putting up barriers to voting.

·      The Government should abandon this costly project which will undermine, not enhance, democracy.

·      At the very least, the Government should delay implementation, to avoid the risk of significant disenfranchisement.

This Council resolves to:

·      call upon the Government to:

o   delay the requirement for photo ID in the May 2023 elections

o   Review the entire project, with a view to scrapping it give serious consideration to scrapping the project entirely and focussing on other actions more likely to improve democratic engagement

o   undertake to cover fully the additional costs arising for councils due to the implementation of the Elections Act 2022

·      Ask the leader to write to our Cambridge MPs informing them of this motion and asking them to share our concerns with Central Government, and ask the leader to write to Michael Gove asking him to act.

·      Publicise this motion and do all it can locally to urge voters to make sure they have the necessary voter ID.

Resolved (unanimously) to support the motion.