Time to stop putting democracy up for sale

6.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Tue 15th Jul 2008

Government must stop forcing Eastbourne Borough Council to sell local residents' electoral register details to direct mail companies

Lib Dem parliamentary campaigner Stephen Lloyd has welcomed the report by the Information Commissioner Richard Thomas recommending that the practice of selling names and personal details from the electoral register be stopped as soon as possible.

Stephen said: "This is a Government which has seemed to specialise in fairly dodgy relationships with big business. So Labour's decision in 2002 to legislate for the sale of electoral registers - presumably as a favour to their friends in the direct marketing industry - was just another diminution of the political process.

"I know that voters can tick a box to say that they do not give permission for their details to be sold in that way - but not everyone sees the box and the whole approach in any event just devalues democracy by putting a price tag on voter registration.

"What message does it send that you register to vote in return for the right to receive double-glazing circulars?" Stephen asked.

"The Government will have to pass new legislation admitting it was wrong - and typically it has so far ducked a full response to the Information Commissioner. I spoke about this with my colleague Cllr David Tutt, Leader of Eastbourne Borough Council, as soon as I saw the report. He shares my concern at this grubby approach to democracy and that some people may even be deterred from registering to vote and exercising their democratic rights."