New laws to tackle electoral fraud - including plans to make a new criminal offence of falsely applying for a postal vote - have today been welcomed in Bradford.

West Yorkshire police have investigated 252 postal votes and applications for possible irregularities in Bradford since the General Election last May.

The number under scrutiny was the highest in Britain.

Now the Department for Constitutional Affairs has published a series of proposals in a bid to reduce the opportunity for corrupt politicians to fix the ballot.

Measures include:

l Creating a new criminal offence of falsely applying for a postal vote

l Strengthening the offence of providing false registration information

l And making it easier to prosecute anyone pressuring someone to vote for a particular person.

The Electoral Administration Bill will also introduce a marked register of postal votes received to prevent fraud and improve security markings on ballot papers.

Individual registration has been ruled out. Instead, households will receive a single registration form through the post and each voter will be required to sign it separately and give their date of birth.

Voting watchdog the Electoral Commission has called for individual

registration, claiming the current system of household registration is

outdated and open to abuse and error.

The Bill will also address falling turnout in elections.

In the general election, just over half of Bradford residents voted - Bradford North (53.3 per cent),

Bradford West (54 per cent) and Bradford South (54.2 per cent).

Electoral administrators will have a duty to ensure everyone who is entitled to vote is registered.

Parents will also be allowed to show their children how to vote by taking

them into the polling booth, under the proposals.

Today Bradford Council's Labour group leader Councillor Ian Greenwood said: "I think if these measures had been in place last year it would have been easier for the authorities to act against people believed to have behaved badly."

He said he welcomed the new

offence and said he hoped the

Crown Prosecutions service would become more actively involved.

Tory Council leader Councillor Margaret Eaton said any measures to tackle election fraud were welcome.

But she added there should be single registration, with signatures, for everyone entitled to vote.

Bradford North MP Terry Rooney said in the past police had not always treated the fraud allegations as a high priority.

"I suspect people will try it on but there is no excuse for not being prosecuted," he added.

Leader of the Council's Liberal Democrat group Councillor Jeanette Sunderland welcomed the measures but said people should not feel "criminalised" and deterred from voting.

She said most of the votes cast were genuine but the way to stop voting fraud was to increase turn out.

l Bradford Tory Councillor Reis Khan and a 31-year-old man were arrested and bailed last month by police investigating allegations of vote rigging.

A West Yorkshire police spokesman said: "The 31-year-old and 35-year-old who were arrested are still on release on bail pending further enquiries."