MORE than 17,000 Bolton voters could be axed from the electoral register by December.

The government wants voters to individually enrol, rather than be signed up to the register as a household.

Council chiefs say the changes would help eradicate electoral fraud, but say they risk disenfranchising "thousands of voters across Bolton".

The new rules mean each voter must prove who they are — by quoting national insurance records — when signing up.

In Bolton, there are currently 17,498 "unverified voters" — about eight per cent of the town's electorate — who now face being struck off the register.

The council has demanded more cash to roll out the new system and ensure as many unverified voters as possible sign up.

Executive member Cllr Nick Peel, for Labour, said: "Unrepresentative electoral registers will lead to unrepresentative constituencies.

"Being unregistered doesn't mean you don't deserve the support of your local MP.

"And under the current proposals, urban and socially deprived areas where registration is low are likely to have fewer MPs per person than affluent areas where registration is high.

"The government needs to give us the adequate resources to do the job of maximum electoral registration.

"If the government fails to act on these concerns then it runs the serious risk of disenfranchising thousands of voters across Bolton.

"The voting system has been the same ever since voting began and to bring through such a change so quickly is not right."

A motion was passed at a full meeting of Bolton Council last week, labelling the government's plans as "poorly thought out and implemented".

The areas in Bolton which would be most severely affected are Labour strongholds.

Figures from the electoral register show 14.17 per cent of Great Lever's electorate are unverified, while 13.96 per cent are in Halliwell and 12.76 per cent are in Rumworth.

Each ward currently has three Labour councillors.

In Tory areas the numbers are much lower. Bradshaw has just 4.96 per cent unverified, while only 5.24 per cent are in Bromley Cross.

Cllr Sean Hornby, for UKIP, said: "Labour are running a bit scared. I think they are worried and that's why they want this delayed."

Cllr Andy Morgan, Conservative for Heaton and Lostock, said: "We need the voting system to be sound so we can push forward with the boundary review which will reduce the number of MPs and the cost of democracy.

"We are confident in our ability to win local elections and fight them on local policy."