Register of electors, dob and NI required.

[Boosted LS1]

This struck me as being a bit invasive. I've been voting for eons and my local borough council have just asked me to complete a form to confirm who I am etc so they can update the register and keep me on it. They already know who I am but now they're insisting I provide my dob as well as NI number when I complete the form.

Is this simply a case of the council being over zealous or has a new law come into force that requires me to hand over my personal details? Has anybody else experienced this recently?

[V8forweekends]

From Moneysaving expert -

What do I need to do once I've got the letter? That'll depend on if you're on the electoral roll now, and whether the letter tells you to do anything. Your local electoral officers will automatically move anyone they can 'match' from existing data to the new register they're putting together.

So, for example, if you've registered on the electoral roll, and you're named on the council tax bill, or you have records with the Department for Work & Pensions, it's likely that's enough info to match you and move you over to the new electoral register. The Electoral Commission estimates around 80% of people will be automatically moved.

If you can't be matched, then you'll get a slightly different letter - one which will ask you to confirm that you still live at the property. You'll need to provide your name, address, date of birth and your National Insurance number (this is only used for ID purposes and isn't kept).

They didn't ask me for any extra info.

[V8forweekends]

This is why it's changing -

http://www.democraticaudit.com/?p=1870

http://www.cps.gov.uk/news/latest_news/derby_local...

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greate...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1487144/Jud...

As usual, we're all being punished and inconvenienced for the actions of a minority.

[GCH]

Going through the same here. I provided NI number and DOB when asked back in july, and they have now written with a big list of stuff they now want to see, including passports, utility bills, photo ID- and they want it within the next ten days. Going to go down in person and sort this out once and for all.



Also, every time the form to check/update the roll comes and I tick the box for postal vote, they send a letter demanding a detailed reason why!

[shalmaneser]

It's because of election fraud.

[V8forweekends]

shalmaneser said:

It's because of election fraud.

Committed by a tiny minority, but like airport "security" and passport "controls", unless they spend a fortune inconveniencing the huge majority of law-abiding folks they are worried that someone will scream discrimination and run off to their lawyer, despite the unspoken facts about where the vast majority of the problem is (and still will be after all this faff, because it isn't really about identity, it's about coercion).

[TooMany2cvs]

V8forweekends said:

...we're all being punished and inconvenienced...

If having to jot down a couple of frequently-referenced pieces of information is your idea of "punishment" and "inconvenience"...

[Impasse]

TooMany2cvs said:

If having to jot down a couple of frequently-referenced pieces of information is your idea of "punishment" and "inconvenience"...

It's an inconvenience to me. I haven't the faintest idea what my NI number is or where I can find it. In fact I have a distant memory from the last time I quoted it to some organisation about thirty years ago of being told " That can't possibly be right" due to some letters or numbers not being recognised.

[shalmaneser]

Impasse said:

TooMany2cvs said:

If having to jot down a couple of frequently-referenced pieces of information is your idea of "punishment" and "inconvenience"...

It's an inconvenience to me. I haven't the faintest idea what my NI number is or where I can find it. In fact I have a distant memory from the last time I quoted it to some organisation about thirty years ago of being told " That can't possibly be right" due to some letters or numbers not being recognised.

It's written on your pay slip.

If you're a well built company director a member of your HR team will know.

[chimster]

[TooMany2cvs]

Impasse said:

It's an inconvenience to me. I haven't the faintest idea what my NI number is or where I can find it.

<shrug> Any payslip, pension statement, PAYE or self-assessment tax communication, strangely enough... You'll be telling me next you don't know your DoB.

[Impasse]

TooMany2cvs said:

<shrug> Any payslip, pension statement, PAYE or self-assessment tax communication, strangely enough... You'll be telling me next you don't know your DoB.

I don't work.

[TooMany2cvs]

Impasse said:

TooMany2cvs said:

<shrug> Any payslip, pension statement, PAYE or self-assessment tax communication, strangely enough... You'll be telling me next you don't know your DoB.

I don't work.

You don't work, you don't receive a pension, you don't do self-assessment tax on your investments?

Custard. With bells on.

[Boosted LS1]

V8forweekends said:

From Moneysaving expert -

What do I need to do once I've got the letter? That'll depend on if you're on the electoral roll now, and whether the letter tells you to do anything. Your local electoral officers will automatically move anyone they can 'match' from existing data to the new register they're putting together.

So, for example, if you've registered on the electoral roll, and you're named on the council tax bill, or you have records with the Department for Work & Pensions, it's likely that's enough info to match you and move you over to the new electoral register. The Electoral Commission estimates around 80% of people will be automatically moved.

If you can't be matched, then you'll get a slightly different letter - one which will ask you to confirm that you still live at the property. You'll need to provide your name, address, date of birth and your National Insurance number (this is only used for ID purposes and isn't kept).

They didn't ask me for any extra info.

This is interesting because I pay community charge at this address and have been here for 15 years. They should be able to match me without my dob and Ni number. Does anybody know if I have to give my personal details to them given that they shouldn't need them? They'll be after my dna next!

[Impasse]

TooMany2cvs said:

Impasse said:

TooMany2cvs said:

<shrug> Any payslip, pension statement, PAYE or self-assessment tax communication, strangely enough... You'll be telling me next you don't know your DoB.

I don't work.

You don't work, you don't receive a pension, you don't do self-assessment tax on your investments?

Custard. With bells on.

This is correct. So finding out my NI number will be an inconvenience, as per the OP.

[Boosted LS1]

What irks me is that they're writing to me using my correct name, fkwits! Yet they want my personal details. I think they're sending out the same letter to everybody rather then check they're own databases. I don't like it and I don't want to give them my personal data. I think I'll ask them to check their own records to see if I'm already there :-)

[eharding]

Impasse said:

TooMany2cvs said:

Impasse said:

TooMany2cvs said:

<shrug> Any payslip, pension statement, PAYE or self-assessment tax communication, strangely enough... You'll be telling me next you don't know your DoB.

I don't work.

You don't work, you don't receive a pension, you don't do self-assessment tax on your investments?

Custard. With bells on.

This is correct. So finding out my NI number will be an inconvenience, as per the OP.

Well, it isn't as if you're rushed off your feet, doing sod-all every day, is it?

[Mojooo]

I use the postal vote but TBH if they want to reduce electoral fraud they should just get rid of the postal vote and spend a bit of money going round visiting people who cannot leave their house for whatever reason (i.e severe disability).

[Impasse]

Boosted LS1 said:

What irks me is that they're writing to me using my correct name, fkwits! Yet they want my personal details. I think they're sending out the same letter to everybody rather then check they're own databases. I don't like it and I don't want to give them my personal data. I think I'll ask them to check their own records to see if I'm already there :-)

Yep. They were quite satisfied with my identity when paying my Council Tax earlier on this year, too.

[smegmore]

Impasse said:

Yep. They were quite satisfied with my identity when paying my Council Tax earlier on this year, too.

So, you don't work but you still pay council tax

Do tell us more......