Herts Tories roll out ID cards for teenagers

12.26.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Tue 7th Oct 2008

Tory-run Hertfordshire County Council are looking to issue nearly 40,000 ID

cards to teenagers in schools and colleges.

The scheme will not have any benefit to anyone carrying the card and will

cost anything up to £2.50 a card to produce. No-one has been consulted in

the run up to rolling out these cards. It will also not include those not in

education or training. Anyone over 16 who is working or on benefits will not

receive this card, therefore victimising those in state education.

Cllr Allan Witherick Liberal Democrat spokesperson on the Police Authority

said: 'The Tories nationally say they are against ID cards, yet here we have

a Tory-run County Council introducing an ID cards scheme.'

Allan continued: 'The council is vilifying teenagers. Most teenagers will

have some form of ID as more and more are banned or age limited, they have

not been consulted and will get no say in the matter. It is horrifying that

we are moving further and further into a society that is state controlled.'