Last night North Wiltshire District Council voted against the use of government ID Cards for access to local services.

A motion which was designed to buffer North Wiltshire residents from the effects of the ID Card Bill and National Identity Register was passed with a cross party majority.

The ID Card Bill which is currently moving through the Westminster machinery could require local councils to re-engineer systems and processes to interface with the National Identity register. As well the Bill could call upon Councils to police participation in the scheme. No costs will be unwritten by central government leaving a potentially huge shortfall to be met by local taxes.

Local campaigners present for the Council meeting last night were buoyed by the result. Lynda Warren of civil liberty group NO2ID explained,’ North Wiltshire Council have joined other councils up and down the country in giving voice to the discord that surrounds this Bill. All will feel the effects of the National Identity Register unless others join the roar of dissent. This Bill is dangerous; we will all be required by law to participate in the NIR and will lose the control of our identity with absolutely nothing in return. The Councillors of North Wiltshire have done a fine thing tonight by recognising the liberty of the people they serve and we urge everyone to remind Westminster that they are our servants not we theirs.’