Cash-ridden UK councils are being forced to flog their wares – selling multi-million pound public assets after being unable to balance their books.

Last week, Birmingham City Council hit headlines following revelations it had become the seventh local authority to become bankrupt after failing to manage its assets.

The Labour-led council revealed in June that it faced an equal pay liability of between £650million and £760million, growing between £5million and £14million a month and now estimated to be more than £1 billion.

Other local authorities are facing a mass of equal pay claims that threaten to tilt their already struggling coffers even further – with 3,000 such claims against Cumberland, Glasgow, Dundee and Fife councils.

The GMB union is also understood to be collecting evidence for further equal pay claims against an additional 20 councils, adding: ‘Everywhere we are looking, we are finding problems.’

In Glasgow, some 8,000 women employed as cleaner and assistants in homecare, schools and nurseries took industrial action before the council agreed to pay £770million in compensation. 

To fund this, the local authority sold off council assets, including Glasgow’s Kelvingrove Museum and Art Galleries, The Guardian reports.

The City Council announced its plans to sell the assets last autumn as part of a drive to raise £270million. 

Political rivals including former Scottish Green MSP Andy Wightman slammed the deal and insisted the council had no right to make such an arrangement, as the like of City Chambers and Kelvingrove Museum were owned by the Common Good Fund and required legal approval.

In November last year, the council confirmed it did not plan to buy the properties back from City Property Glasgow at the end of their lease, the Scottish Daily Express reported. A council official confirmed that they will review the position when the time comes.

Thurrock Council announced plans at the start of the year to raise £90million through asset sales to help fulfil its £470million funding gap.

Acting chief executive Ian Wake stated that the authority had five options to help plug the gap, including raising council tax, asset disposal, revenue savings from rationalisation and transformation, growth and exceptional financial support from the government.

Mark Coxshall, the Tory leader of the council said: ‘At the moment, we are £470million in debt which we can’t cover and that is why we are needing to move for exceptional financial support from the government.

‘These are shocking numbers but the first stage to creating a good plan for recovery is to understand the full extent of the problem.’

In May, Croydon Council announced plans to sell off holdings of more than 20 properties in an attempt to raise £50million during this financial year.

The council has revealed a list of 27 buildings it planned to sell off 2023/24. Among its list of properties to be disposed of were the Colonnades Retail Park and the old New Addington Leisure Centre, and the Cherry Orchard Garden Centre – staffed by volunteers with disabilities.

The portfolio also included the sale of five council houses which were arranged to be sold off in order to clear the way for the expansion of Crystal Palace Football Club’s Selhurst Park stadium.

Many of the sales were for properties the council had acquired as part of a planned investment portfolio. 

These include The Colonnades, which was purchased for £53million in 2018 and the following year, the council bought the Selco builders’ merchants warehouse building the offices of medical supplies trader Alliance Healthcare  for a sum of £14million.

Following the legacy of Northamptonshire County Council, which was disbanded in 2021 after going bankrupt, one of its successors sought to offload some of its inherited assets.

North Northamptonshire Council estimated it saved more than £350,000 by closing down a Knuston Hall, near Rushden, last September after it said it became financially unviable to keep it open.

The Grade II-listed former stately home was used as a conference centre and college  but closed during the Covid pandemic.

It reopened briefly in 2021 before closing again in January 2022.

Subsequent survey found it did not meet legal standards and maintenance work would need to be carried out.

The council’s executive director for finance and performance Janice Gotts said it lost around £372,000 in associated income from the hall but made salary savings of £488,000 and net savings in running costs of £241,000.

The hall and its extensive grounds are on the market for £2million.

Slough Borough Council declared bankruptcy in 2021, owing £760million in borrowed debt. To plug the gap, it announced plans to sell off a portfolio including a cinema, DIY store, supermarket and warehouse.

The former Montem Leisure Centre site -which received received planning permission for 212 homes – was put up for sale in October last year

An application submitted by the council’s company Slough Urban Renewal – a joint enterprise between the council and regeneration company Muse, included affordable homes, ‘iconic buildings’, open spaces, and leisure facilities.

The council cannot embark on with capital projects due to restrictions on spending for essential services while it reduces its debt.

Acquired in the 1930s, the leisure centre was demolished in 2019/20 at the cost of £500,000.

The council has received bids of approximately £13.5million for the site, and also put a former music venue, which hosted The Beatles and Jimi Hendrix, up for sale.

In south London, Bromley Council is selling its historic Grade-II listed HQ after getting a £164million ‘maintenance and refurbishment bill’ for properties across the borough. 

The council announced it would be moving from its Civic Centre based at Bishop’s Place, in Stockwell Close, to a new purpose-built site in Churchill Court in December last year. 

The former HQ dates back to 1775. Speaking at the time, council boss Colin Smith said: ‘Whilst leaving our current home is a real wrench and tinged with considerable sadness for those of us who have been there a while, this move is of its time given the well-publicised pressures on local governments’ finances and the opportunities it presents in terms of integrating our services more efficiently.’

The council finalised its purchase of the new Civic Centre HQ last month, with staff now moving into the site.

In north Wales, cash-strapped Conwy County Council is looking to spend £255,000 on a study to sell off its historic Bodlondeb HQ.

The authority’s top cabinet team met this week to discuss plans to flog off the Grade -II listed building and move staff into the £58million Coed Pella offices in Colwyn Bay, reports the Daily Post today. 

Conwy’s leader Councillor Charlie McCoubrey said the council had to spend money to save money.

‘It is absolutely vitally important that we get this right,’ he insisted. ‘This is a huge decision for us both in terms of reducing to one office in Coed Pella but also in maximising the community benefit, the economic benefit, and making sure that this amenity is utilised in Bodlondeb to support the residents in Conwy.’

The move comes after it was revealed Conwy faces a £20million to £30million budget shortfall next year, despite increasing council tax by 9.9 per cent last year amid sweeping cutbacks to services. 

Further to the west, in Liverpool, Wirral Council is preparing to flog off 23 car parks, libraries and some of its building to pay off a multi-million pound debt. 

The local authority last month gave Lambert Smith Hampton £495,000 to help selling off its assets over the next three years. 

It comes after civic chiefs backed controversial measures in July that saw Claremount Specialist Sports College, the site of the new Bebington Town Hall and Bromborough Civic Centre put up for sale. 

Wirral’s move to cutback on buildings has been launched to help the authority pay back a £12million of emergency Government funding it received in 2021 to prevent it from declaring bankruptcy, reports the Wirral Globe. 

The council’s leader Paul Stuart insisted the sales were desperately needed to pay off the loan, which is racking up £600,000 in interest every year. 

Other sites set to be sold include Oaklands Outdoor Centre, Seacombe Library, the Coronation Gardens Cafe, the Price Street car park, Tranmere’s Marine Technology Park, former council offices in Liscard, and properties in Seaview Road, Laird Street, and Manor Road. 

Land at Ditton Lane in Moreton, Bedford Place, and Old Clatterbridge Road in Bebington is also being sold. 

Also in difficulty is neighbouring Sefton Council. The authority last year announced it was reviewing around 200 assets a year, reports the Liverpool Echo.

These assets, made up of land and buildings, ‘surplus assets’ and investment properties total more than £300million in value, many of which are held as a legacy from the merging of previous local authorities into what is now Sefton Council. 

On the south coast, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council is planning to sell off a children’s centre, student accommodation building and toilet block to help it plug a £20million gap in its finances.

While Labour-led Nottingham City Council is also making sweeping cuts to its holdings, with civic bosses agreeing to sale a number of buildings and other assets.

At a meeting in February, it was announced the authority would sell York House, which is home to the popular Rosa’s Thai restaurant – alongside six other sites.  

The council said it will complete a sweeping review of 550 of its assets by the end of the year to determine what else it will get rid of.

Nottingham faces a £32million black hole in its 2023-24 financial budget, with the council having proposed savings totalling £29million. 

Meanwhile, there are fears more councils up and down the country will go bust with one Surrey authority grappling a debt that is 86.9 times its regular income.

The Moody’s investor services research found that Spelthorne in Surrey had debts valued at £1.1billion. 

That was an even worse ratio than nearby Woking, which has already issued a section 114 order – meaning it is effectively bankrupt. 

Astonishingly, the bosses at five cash-strapped councils facing bankruptcy are pocketing a higher wage than Prime Minister Rishi Sunak £167,391 salary. 

Terrified locals living in a remote corner of Cambridgeshire are begging the council to remove a notorious railway arch dubbed ‘Britain’s most bashed bridge’ after a slew of traffic accidents. 

The Stonea railway crossing close to Ely was struck 33 times in one year as motorists were seemingly unaware of the bridges low 6ft6 dimensions before it was too late.

Residents are campaigning to improve the underpass, close to where Brian Dewey, 73, from Little Thetford was killed in a crash involving a Volvo and his orange motorbike in June. 

Simon Milburn, the area coroner for Cambridgeshire nd Peterborough has said ‘the cause of [Mr Dewey’s] death currently remains unascertained [and is] pending further investigations.’ 

James Fuller, who lives close to the Stonea railway crossing is among locals actively campaigning for action at the underpass, and claims that despite records showing the bridge has been struck 33 times, the real figure is much higher.

Mr Fuller, who has lived in the village for a year, said: ‘It’s a 6ft6 underpass here and those of us who live locally know that the bridge is struck more times than is officially recorded.

‘It’s a very dangerous location that’s not been addressed. We’ve witnessed plenty of awful smashes along with a death on the road network some weeks ago.’

Numerous drivers have found their vehicles have got wedged after ignoring the height restriction signs and attempting to drive through the underpass. The crashes not only cause damage but also long delays for other vehicles.

His neighbours, Pam Boss and Glen Lea, who have lived in the village for more than 20 years, said they believe the bridge gets hit around twice a week.

Mr Lea said: ‘We’ve been trying to get something done about that bridge for 20 years and I don’t think anything is ever going to be done.

‘We’ve been told it has not been bashed enough but they don’t take into consideration the drivers who have hit it and just driven off.

‘One reason they hit the bridge is because they come round the corner too fast and they are following their Sat Nav.’

Residents say Cambridgeshire County Council is reluctant to close the underpass because vehicles will have to use the manual level crossing and will be constantly held up as trains frequently pass.

Mr Fuller added: ‘We genuinely feel that if this road was in any other part of Cambridgeshire it would have been fixed. We feel we are the poor relations in Fenland.

‘People have been promised that changes will be made for more than 20 years and nothing is ever done about it.’

He has written to Network Rail, Cambridgeshire County Council and local MP Stephen Barclay calling for the underpass to be closed, or safety measures to be put in place, but nothing has been done.

He said: ‘It seems that Network Rail and Cambridgeshire County Council have no interest in closing it, despite how much the locals push for it. They say there’s not enough money.

‘It seems the ease of getting workers to London is a greater priority than keeping those of us who live at Stonea safe.

‘I think there needs to be a much more imaginative response to the problem and at least some measures need to be put in place, even reducing the speed of the road to 20mph would help.’

He said the layout of the road around the bridge was also ‘dangerous’ and contributed to the problems. He added: ‘The signage is insufficient and all the road markings aren’t there.’

A community relations executive for Network Rail wrote to Mr Fuller earlier this year stating that only the county council has the powers to close the underpass.

A Cambridgeshire County Council spokesperson said: ‘Officers visited the site following the fatal collision and assessed the condition of signs and road markings in the area. 

‘The road markings are to be refreshed to add clarity to the road layout ahead and the advance warning signage is to be improved to better advise drivers of larger vehicles that they will need to use the overpass.

‘The bridge is the responsibility of Network Rail, who have plans to automate the crossing on the bridge, although these are currently unfunded. Until this automation takes place, it will not be possible to implement any major changes to the current layout.’

A spokesman for Network Rail said: ‘Bridge strikes are a scourge on our railway which pose serious safety issues for road and rail users and can delay tens of thousands of passengers while we inspect the bridge and repair any damage – creating cost from public funds which should be used upgrading and improving our network. We are well aware of the issues at this particular bridge and share the concern of local residents around the number of incidents here.

‘We’ve made substantial investments to improve safety for road and rail users at this site with the installation of a collision protection beam and improved chevrons have been installed by Network Rail to reduce the likelihood of future collisions. We have also met with highways representatives to recommend further traffic calming measures on the approach to the bridge.

‘Bridge strikes can be avoided. We urge operators and drivers to always know the height and size of their vehicles, carefully plan their routes and look out for road signs showing the height of bridges. 

‘Network Rail always looks to recover the repair and delay costs from the driver and the operator and reports all bridge strikes to the Traffic Commissioners for consideration of enforcement and licence revocation.’

Row at the General Medical Council as doctors accuse the regulators of failing to tackle medics who spread Covid vaccine conspiracies

• Doctors have accused the GMC failing at its role as the standards regulator 
• It is supposed to police doctors and ensure standards to protect the public  

By Pat Hagan

Updated: 17:58 EDT, 3 June 2023

British Chambers of Commerce sets up business council to develop policies that will ‘boost UK’s growth and prosperity’

By Daily Mail City & Finance Reporter

Updated: 05:50 EDT, 29 May 2023

Some links in this article may be affiliate links. If you click on them we may earn a small commission. That helps us fund This Is Money, and keep it free to use. We do not write articles to promote products. We do not allow any commercial relationship to affect our editorial independence.

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Dejected Tories are pinning the blame on a year of turmoil at Westminster as Rishi Sunak faces a bleak set of local election results this morning.

The Conservatives have lost control of five councils – Brentwood, Tamworth, North West Leicestershire, Hertsmere and East Lindsey – and shed more than 130 councillors.

In more body blows, Labour could end 23 years of blue rule in Medway and the Lib Dems look set to seize Windsor & Maidenhead as Mr Sunak’s party is squeezed on all fronts.  

Although many more results are to come, polling experts said the Tories could yet face the ‘calamity’ of losing more than 1,000 seats overall.

Labour celebrated victories in Plymouth, where the Conservatives had been running a minority administration, and Stoke-on-Trent – a key ‘Red Wall’ battleground ahead of next year’s general election. They were also jubilant about a mayoral win in Middlesbrough.

Party sources boasting that their local elections performance, if replicated at a parliamentary contest, would see Sir Keir in No10.

The swing so far looks to be close to the double-digits that Sir Keir needs to overturn Tory majority.

In both Tamworth and North West Leicestershire there were signs that recent Westminster sleaze scandals had damaged the Tories as they lost control of both councils.

Tamworth’s local MP is Chris Pincher, the former Conservative whip who faced groping claims last summer in a scandal that ultimately led to Boris Johnson’s downfall as PM.

The North West Leicestershire MP is Andrew Bridgen, who was kicked out the Conservative Party last month following his claim that Covid vaccines were ‘the biggest crime against humanity since the Holocaust’.

As well as their gains in Plymouth and Stoke-on-Trent, Labour held on to councils in Sunderland, Chorley, Halton, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, South Tyneside, Sefton, Exeter, Stevenage, Ipswich, Lincoln, Coventry, Salford, Sandwell, Reading and Bassetlaw.

But they failed to gain Hartlepool despite high hopes they could win control two years on from suffering a devastating by-election loss in the ‘Red Wall’ area.

The Tories held on to a series of councils across England – including Broxbourne, Harlow, Redditch, Basildon, Havant, Rushmoor, North East Lincolnshire, Thurrock and Dudley – but were braced for more losses as ballots continued to be counted on Friday morning.

‘The Conservatives are in a little bit of trouble,’ polling expert Professor Sir John Curtice told the BBC. 

He suggested the ‘calamity’ of more than 1,000 seat losses for the Conservatives – which some senior ministers had forecast but was widely seen as Tory expectation management ahead of polling day – could yet become reality.

A Labour source claimed, if their performance was repeated at the next general election, they would win a slew of Westminster constituencies from the Tories.

This included Aldershot – a seat that has been held by the Conservatives for the past century.

‘Tory MPs will be very worried,’ the source said. ‘This is supposed to be Rishi Sunak’s political honeymoon.

‘But on these results they would have lost a bunch of seats — including one they’ve held for over 100 years.’

The Liberal Democrats held on to Eastleigh, Hull, Cotswold, and Bath and North East Somerset councils and had gained more than 20 councillors by 4am.

Party sources were also confident they had taken control of Windsor and Maidenhead.

From 7am to 10pm yesterday, voters across England visited polling stations to choose around 8,000 councillors in 230 councils.

Results from all four corners of the country began to arrive around midnight, with the major parties on tenterhooks to discover whether they had a good or bad night.

The full results will provide a key indicator as to whether Mr Sunak can stage a revival in Conservative fortunes against Labour.

But Sir Keir’s party seized on their gain of Plymouth City Council as evidence they will be able take seats off the Conservatives at the general election.

‘It’s been a really terrible night for us here in Plymouth,’ said Plymouth Moor View MP Johnny Mercer, who is also a Government minister.

Pointing to a local row over tree-felling by the council, he added: ‘There’s a number of factors at play – locally it’s been very difficult, the Conservative group here has been through a very difficult time.’

Labour MP Luke Pollard, whose Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport constituency neighbours Mr Mercer’s seat, said Mr Mercer was ‘toast’ at the next general election.

As well as their success in the South West, Labour were also celebrating the election of their candidate Chris Cooke as the new mayor of Middlesbrough, after he defeated independent incumbent Andy Preston.

A party spokesperson said: ‘This is an huge result and beyond our expectations. 

‘Taking this back from independents who won it with 59% of the vote in 2019 shows exactly the kind of progress we needed to make in Teesside.’

Earlier, Tory Cabinet minister Chris Heaton-Harris admitted the Conservatives had suffered ‘a bit of a blip’ following last year’s ousting of Mr Johnson and Liz Truss as PM.

The Northern Ireland Secretary said ‘fantastic councillors’ were set to lose their seats but insisted the Conservatives were ‘trying to make sure we win people’s trust back’ under Mr Sunak.

‘We know we’ve got work to do and it is going to be a tough set of results for us — we are in no doubt about that,’ he told BBC’s Newsnight.

Local Tories pinned the blame for poor council election results on the party’s woes at Westminster.

‘Nationally and locally we’ve had a very difficult 12 months and I think the electorate have responded to that and voted as they see fit today,’ Jeremy Oates, the Tory leader on Tamworth Council, told the BBC.

Chris Mitchell, a former local Tory leader who lost his seat on Worcester Council to the Greens tonight, said: ‘The political backdrop of Westminster undoubtedly is a key factor, which we heard on the doorstep.’

Virge Richichi, a former chair of North West Leicestershire Council and a current councillor, said: ‘We’ve been dealt a pretty bad hand over the past three or four years from Boris, Liz Truss and now Rishi Sunak.

‘And hopefully Rishi Sunak will put us on the right track again.’

Bridget Phillipson, Labour’s shadow education secretary, said she was ‘confident’ the party had made progress in key battleground areas.

‘I’m confident we’re going to see progress in those key areas where we need to make gains come the next general election, and I think we have run a really strong campaign that will demonstrate that,’ she said.

Prior to polling day, the PM had predicted a ‘hard night’ and warned that – despite ‘good progress’ since he entered No10 – Tory councillors could yet be punished for the turbulence of the past 12 months at Westminster.

Mr Sunak personally paid for a delivery of 10 large Domino’s pizzas at Tory HQ tonight ahead of votes being counted across England. 

Senior Tories have admitted they could lose more than 1,000 council seats across England – although Labour have furiously accused the Conservatives of expectation management ahead of election day.

Losing fewer than 500 seats overall would be viewed as a good night at Tory HQ, at a time when the party currently trails Labour in most national opinion polls.

Amid growing signs of a late Conservative surge ahead of polling day, one forecast even suggested Tory losses could be as little as 338 seats.

Tory hopes of a decent performance will be buoyed by the fact the local council seats being decided this year were last contested in 2019, at the nadir of Theresa May’s time as PM.

Following a poor performance that night, Mrs May went on to suffer humiliation in European Parliament elections just three weeks later, which swiftly led to her resignation.

But Labour was also failing to make major inroads at the time with an unpopular leader in Jeremy Corbyn.

Meanwhile, polling experts have said that Labour needs to score a victory of more than 10% in the projected national vote share in this year’s local elections to show that Sir Keir is on course to be the next PM.

Sir Tony Blair had double-digit local election vote share victories in the lead-up to New Labour’s landslide in 1997, as did David Cameron’s Tories before 2010 when they ended up in coalition with the Liberal Democrats.

Labour gaining 700 seats or more would be the party’s best local election performance for at least 10 years.

And gains above 500 seats would point to Sir Keir being poised to win the keys to Downing Street at the next general election, experts have said.

But both Labour and the Tories will be keeping a close eye on the number of independent councillors elected.

Success or otherwise for non-party candidates is set to provide evidence as to whether the two major parties are currently garnering much enthusiasm among voters.

As the polls closed last night, a Tory spokesman said: ‘This will be a tough night for the Conservatives.

‘Any Government which has been in power for 13 years is highly likely to lose seats. Independent experts Rallings and Thrasher have said we could lose over 1,000 seats.

‘But if Labour want to be in with a chance of taking office after the next general election as they did in 1997, they need to be making very significant gains as they did in 1995 – the last most comparable election – anything less than that will pose serious questions for Labour HQ.’

Labour sources swiftly rubbished the Tories’ comparison with the 1995 local elections, as they pointed out Scotland and Wales were included in the council elections that year – but no contests were held in the two countries on Thursday. 

They also claimed the dominance of the two main parties in local government had long since ended, with the number of independent candidates having massively increased in recent years.

Shabana Mahmood MP, Labour’s National Campaign Coordinator, said she was proud of her party’s ‘positive campaign’ that ‘focused on the issues that matter most to voters’.

‘This is a cost of living election,’ she added.

‘We have set out the choices we would make to help people through the cost of living crisis, cut crime and cut NHS waiting lists, but the Tories have been silent on the issues that matter most.

‘If the Conservatives go backwards from their disastrous 2019 local election results, the voters will have sent a damning message about Rishi Sunak’s leadership.

‘It’s going to be a long night and the full picture of results will not form until well into Friday afternoon but we expect to make gains and show we’re making the progress in the places we need to win at the next election.’

The Lib Dems are eyeing up ‘Blue Wall’ seats in traditional Tory heartlands at the next general election and tonight’s result will show whether they are on course to achieve that aim.

Gains of 150 seats or more, particularly in Tory-Lib Dem battlegrounds, would point to Sir Ed Davey’s party being on the right path ahead of the general election.

But they will do well to repeat their success from last year, when they gained more than 200 council seats.

Last year’s local elections were held at the height of the Partygate scandal, while the Tories saw their poll ratings plummet further under Liz Truss’s disastrous premiership in September and October.

Lib Dem deputy leader Daisy Cooper said: ‘I have knocked on countless doors in recent weeks and heard real anger and frustration from voters who are sick and tired of being taken for granted by this Conservative Government.

‘Tonight, their voices will be heard.’

Speaking on Wednesday night at an Onward think tank event, Mr Sunak gave a downbeat assessment of his party’s likely performance in this year’s local election.

He hailed the Tories for moving away from the ‘box set drama’ of what went before his premiership, in a reference to turmoil under predecessors Boris Johnson and Ms Truss.

But he said: ‘We should be prepared that tomorrow night is going to be hard for us.

‘Good councillors will lose their seats because of all that has happened over the past year.’

Mr Sunak added: ‘I’ve only been PM for six months but I do believe we’re making good progress. Just think about where we were then and where we are now.’

Sir Keir, speaking to broadcasters on the eve of the polls opening on Thursday morning, said his party had ‘a positive case to tell’ and that he hoped to make electoral ‘progress’.

He said voters could ‘set Britain on a path of growth, security and the promise of a better future’.

On his final day of campaigning for the Lib Dems, Sir Ed claimed lifelong Tory voters were ‘in open revolt against this shambolic Government’.

‘I have never known so much anger on the doorstep towards a Government which is completely out of touch with the British public,’ he said.

‘Former Conservative voters feel completely taken for granted by this Government.’

Council elections were not taking place in all parts of England on Thursday.

There were no contests in London and Birmingham, along with other areas including Cornwall, North Yorkshire and Cumbria.

Polls were also taking place to choose mayors in Bedford, Leicester, Mansfield, as well as Middlesbrough.

Thursday’s local elections were the first time it has been compulsory for all voters in England to show photo identification at polling stations. There were regional pilots previously.

There were reports of confusion at ballot stations over new ID rules, with the Lib Dems complaining that the numbers are ‘significant’.

Some said they turned up to vote with photo ID only to be told it was the wrong type – while others claimed ‘greeters’ were asking for identification and turning people away outside, meaning that records would not be kept.

The craze for #dogsatpollingstations even got in on the act, with one owner creating an ID for her pet.

But the Electoral Commission said their initial assessment was that ‘overall, the elections were well run’.

People were required to show a form of photo identification, such as a passport, driving licence or blue badge.

Other forms of identity that were being accepted include biometric residence permits, defence identity cards, and national identity cards issued by the EU, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein.

Supporters say it is normal to show ID in much of the rest of the world, and the move protects the integrity of the process. But critics argue it could deter young people and those from poorer communities.

There have been questions raised about why bus and travel passes for older and disabled people are being accepted as photo IDs, but that young people’s travel cards will not be permitted.

Lib Dem MP Layla Moran tweeted: ‘We’ve had reports by our tellers of people being turned away at polling stations for lack of correct ID. 

‘That’s just in my constituency so far. Across the country I’m worried this will be significant numbers and far more than the exactly 0 people found guilty of fraud last year.’ 

One Twitter user said they had been unable to use a driver qualification card to prove their identity. The Electoral Commission responded explaining that it was not one of the 20 accepted forms in legislation.

The watchdog’s director of communications Craig Westwood also moved to clarify that expired photo IDs were acceptable – as long as the picture is still recognisable.

‘There is a specific list of around 20 (forms of ID) so I urge people to check that list,’ he told Sky News.

‘If you’ve got an ID which has expired that doesn’t matter as long as it still looks like you.’

He also said that Electoral Commission research found that around 96% of people already have an eligible photo ID.

Annette Hill, from Weston-super-Mare, made light of the row by making her dog Ruby her own photo ID, complete with name, photo, and an ‘authorised signature’ of a paw print.

The 58-year-old, who works in learning and development HR, said her two-year-old golden retriever was making her first trip to the polling station.

An Electoral Commission spokesman said tonight: ‘These were the first set of polls to take place since the voter ID requirement came into force.

‘Our initial assessment is that overall, the elections were well run.

‘Across the country, votes were cast throughout the day and in line with the law.

‘This is in large part thanks to the dedication of electoral administrators, who have worked hard to prepare for today and for the implementation of this new measure.

‘Confidence in the overall picture, however, should not overlook other impacts which can only be revealed through detailed data collection and analysis over the coming weeks.

‘We already know from our research that the ID requirement posed a greater challenge for some groups in society, and that some people were regrettably unable to vote today as a result.’

The spokesman added that the watchdog had already begun work to ‘understand the impact’ of the new photo ID rules.

Campaigners opposed to the photo ID requirement said Thursday had been a ‘dark day for democracy’.

Tom Brake of Unlock Democracy, who is leading a coalition of groups opposed to the move including the Electoral Reform Society, Fair Vote UK and Open Britain, said ‘many thousands’ of people were estimated to have been turned away.

‘Reports from all over the country confirm our very worst fears of the impact of the disastrous policy which has been made worse by the shambolic way it has been introduced,’ the former Lub said.

‘One voter turned away is one too many, but early estimates point to many thousands of people being turned away and denied their right to vote.

‘Too many people were unaware that they needed photo ID or weren’t clear on exactly what type of ID was required.

‘The buck for this attack on democracy rests squarely with Government. This policy was always a sledgehammer looking for a nut to crack.’

Mr Brake said the policy should be paused until an independent inquiry has examined its impact.