Around 20 per cent of Hertsmere’s voters have been told they are no longer on the electoral roll.

The move to individual electoral registration is taking place across the country to help modernise the way people register to vote, help tackle electoral fraud and improve people’s confidence in the electoral system.

But for some people, the transition to the new register it has not been as smooth as expected.

Radlett voter Clive Glover said he had heard many people complaining that they had lived in the same home for years but were now being asked to prove who they were - adding that he felt the problem must be “pretty serious”.

He said: “Presumably because of attempts to reduce fraud that happened in certain areas, they have gone over the top in trying to deal with it by insisting on across check against a central government database. These are never accurate.”

Although 80 per cent of voters have had no problems, the remaining people have been asked to complete a new individual electoral registration form which asks for a National Insurance number and date of birth.

Around seven per cent of those people remaining have still not matched with government records, even when they have lived at their address or used their married name for many years, and now must prove their identification.

Jo Bateman, Hertsmere Borough Council’s principal electoral services officer, said: “We apologise for any inconvenience this is causing our residents and hope people will bear with us through this period of transition – rest assured, no one will lose their vote before the general election next year.

“Other councils are also experiencing a higher than anticipated percentage of electors whose details don’t match with government records and this has been raised with the Cabinet Office. It was initially expected that only one to two per cent of applications would fail to match.”

Those who have not had their records transferred are now being asked for additional information, such as a copy of their passport, photo driving licence or a utility bill.

Have you had problems with your registration? Please contact the Borehamwood Times on 07824 530 110 or email victoria.oliphant@london.newsquest.co.uk