Sheffield City Council says no to ID cards thanks to local Lib Dems

11.36.58am BST (GMT +0100) Mon 13th Aug 2007

Sheffield City Council says no to ID cards

Sheffield City Council has passed a motion criticising plans for identity cards thanks to support from the Liberal Democrats. However, joining a national protest campaign or refusing to use them as part of council services was ruled out due to the single Conservative councillor not voting against Labour.

The council decided that ID cards had no proven benefits, were expensive and could be detrimental to civil liberties. There are also question marks over the technology to be used to run the proposed national database.

Green Party group leader Coun Jillian Creasy put forward the motion, seconded by Liberal Democrat leader Coun Paul Scriven. They were backed by their parties and Sheffield Group councillors Conservative Anne Smith and Independent Martin Davis, and so they defeated Labour, who opposed the motion.

But Coun Smith opposed the ideas of joining national protest group NO2ID, to which 12 local authorities are already affiliated, or refusing to join trials and ensuring ID cards won't be mandatory to access council services. There were not enough votes for that part of the motion to be approved.