PENDLE and Blackburn with Darwen councils are to call for a re-think on government proposals requiring voters to produce photographic evidence of identity at polling stations.

Senior Labour figures in both boroughs believe it will put people off taking part in elections.

MORE TOP STORIES:

In December the government proposed that voters in Burnley, Pendle, Blackburn with Darwen and Hyndburn should be required to produce photo-ID, such as a driving licence or passport, to cast their ballot in an attempt to eliminate electoral fraud.

Pendle MP Andrew Stephenson has strongly backed the move.

Tomorrow night Blackburn with Darwen borough’s full council forum will consider a motion proposed by deputy leader Cllr Phil Riley calling for the idea to be dropped.

It says: “This change is being introduced to deal with the potential issue of voter impersonation although there have been no proven examples of this crime within Blackburn with Darwen.

“It will significantly inconvenience all law abiding electors and, in some cases, will prevent them from voting because they will not be able to supply the relevant documentation.

“It will involve additional expensive bureaucracy.

“This council calls upon the chief executive to make these concerns known to the Electoral Commission and we ask the two local MPs, Kate Hollern and Jake Berry, to support this.”

Cllr Mohammed Iqbal, leader of Pendle Council said: “I am proposing a similar motion at next month’s full council meeting.

“This is unnecessary as we have never had case of someone claiming to be someone else when voting.

“It will put people off voting when we are having trouble getting them to do so in the first place.

“The government should be looking at postal and proxy voting not impersonation.”

Burnley council leader Cllr Mark Townsend said: “I share their concerns and am considering putting a similar motion to full council.”

Pilots of the photo ID scheme are set to be carried out at polling stations across the four East Lancashire boroughs and 14 others in the local elections in 2018, before a decision is taken on whether to roll out the measure nationally.