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The leader of Crawley Borough Council has said there should be a delay in the use of voter ID, saying neither the public nor election staff are ready.

Michael Jones spoke in response to a report that almost one-third of the electorate was not aware that they now needed photo ID to cast their vote at their polling station.

Calling the news ‘very concerning’, he wrote on social media: “It’s my view that this requirement needs to be delayed at the very least.

“I don’t think the election administrators in our local councils are ready for it, and the public certainly aren’t.”

Polling Station in Gossops Green (Pic by Jon Rigby)

One-third of the borough council’s seats will be contested at the ballot box on Thursday May 4.

Information from the Electoral Commission states that the following forms of photo ID are acceptable:

Passport Driving licence A Blue Badge Older Person’s Bus Pass Disabled Person’s Bus Pass Oyster 60+ Card Freedom Pass Identity card bearing the Proof of Age Standards Scheme hologram (a PASS card) Biometric immigration document Ministry of Defence Form 90 (Defence Identity Card) National identity card issued by an EEA state Anonymous Elector’s Document

You will only need to show one form of photo ID but it needs to be the original version and not a photocopy.

You can still use your photo ID if it’s out of date, as long as it looks like you.

The name on your ID should be the same name you used to register to vote.

If you don’t have an accepted form of photo ID, you can apply for a free Voter Authority Certificate before April 25.

You can do so online via www.gov.uk or call the helpline on 0800 328 0280 to request an application form.

A council spokesman said: “The elections team is working very hard to ensure that new legislative changes and guidance provided by the government is followed.

“This will ensure that the new voter ID requirements are implemented effectively and ensure that, through awareness raising, voters know what to bring with them on polling day in order to vote.”

The Electoral Reform Society called it ‘an expensive distraction’, adding: “Evidence from around the world shows that forcing voters to bring photographic ID to the polling station just makes it harder for people to vote – while doing little to increase faith in the integrity of the system.”

Crawley 'not ready' for introduction of new voter ID rules