CAMPAIGNERS from Worcester have helped set up a new group to fight Government plans for ID cards.

Worcestershire now has its own branch of the campaign group NO2ID which this week sent letters to every councillor on Worcestershire County Council and Worcester City Council asking for support.

Brian Gladman, branch spokesman of the UK-wide lobby group, says the ID card scheme will supply sensitive information to the authorities and could be used to fine council taxpayers up to £1,000 if they fail to register or report a change of address. So far all 92 councillors have been sent letters or e-mails urging them to oppose the scheme.

The group holds its first meeting on Wednesday, November 7, at the Portobello, Bransford Road, St John's, Worcester, at 8pm to discuss the next step.

So far the leader of the city council, Simon Geraghty, and county council leader Dr George Lord, both Conservatives, have come out against ID cards.

Brian Gladman, aged 64, of St John's, Worcester, is a member of the NO2ID Worcestershire group.

Mr Gladman, a former NATO security director, said ID cards would saddle councils with extra bureaucracy and expense and undermine people's trust.

He said: "It is population surveillance and control in all but name. The National Identity Scheme aims to collect and record biometric and other data for all UK adults at a cost of billions of pounds.

"It's completely ludicrous. Honest people don't need them and dishonest people will get around them. This is going to a security disaster with the identities of 50 million people in one place. It will increase fraud. Anyone who is a security expert will tell you that you don't concentrate data in one place - you need to spread it around. This is there to control us."

County leader Dr George Lord said: "I'm against ID cards because of the cost and because it interferes with freedom of information. The less interference from the state the better. They say it helps towards anti-terrorism but I'm not persuaded by that. I'm against it full stop."