FORMER Worth Valley councillor Sir Eric Pickles claims political correctness has led the Government to turn a blind eye to some corrupt electoral practices.

The one-time leader of Bradford Council headed a review into fraud at the polls.

He said pressure was being put on vulnerable members of some ethnic minority communities to vote according to the will of elders, especially in communities with a Pakistani or Bangladeshi background.

In his report, Sir Pickles – the MP for Brentwood and Ongar – said: "There were concerns that influence and intimidation within households may not be reported and that state institutions had turned a blind eye to such behaviour because of ‘politically correct’ over-sensitivities about ethnicity and religion."

The report contains more than 50 recommendations, including forcing voters to present ID at polling stations and banning political activists from handling postal ballot papers.

Sir Pickles added: "There are sometimes challenging issues over divisive community politics, but this is no excuse for failing to enforce British law and protect the integrity of our democratic process.

"It is time to take action to take on the electoral crooks and defend Britain’s free and fair elections."

Kersten England, the returning officer for Bradford Council, said the authority had “welcomed the opportunity” to contribute to the report.

"We have developed practices with our partners and implemented measures that have been introduced nationally and will continue to do so," she said.

"There have been some allegations of electoral fraud in the Bradford district over the years, although proven cases of electoral fraud are extremely rare, and we recognised early on the need within the national electoral system for increased levels of audit.

"Since that time we have contributed to reviews and have made clear our support for increased measures to counter any potential electoral fraud, including the introduction of proof of identity at polling stations which would require a change in the law.

"We will continue to work closely with the Electoral Commission and the police as we recognise the need for further developments to build upon the integrity of our country’s democratic system.

"While closely fought contests can produce challenges, they can also demonstrate positive democratic engagement."

The deputy leader of the Labour-run council, Val Slater, added: "The returning officer, working with the Electoral Commission and the police, is responsible for overseeing the conduct of elections. It is a crucial role, as our democracy which we hold so dear depends on free and fair elections.

"I would welcome any sensible measures if they can further strengthen that process around the country."

Bingley Rural councillor Simon Cooke, the leader of the Conservative group on the council, said: "I do think there is a series of important questions raised about how elections are run.

"I'm hoping the council takes a good look at the report and if there are things we can put into action we should be, so our elections are run as fairly as possible."

Ahead of this year's local elections, eight complaints of wrong-doing were passed to West Yorkshire Police by the council. Enquiries into those are continuing.

An Electoral Commission spokesman said: "The commission takes electoral fraud extremely seriously and takes action before each set of elections to make sure the police and electoral administrators are aware what to do if they receive any allegations. We welcome the fact that Sir Eric Pickles has repeated so many of the commission's long-standing recommendations."