I refer to P Peters letter, Voting's new age-old problem, in last week's Sutton Guardian.

The council asks for dates of birth to check when 17-year-olds become eligible to vote and to ensure those residents reaching 70 years are removed from the jury service list. We previously asked for this information using a tick box system, however, it was not unusual to find the borough's over-70 population suddenly expanding.

It is not unusual for authorities to request date of birth information. I can assure residents that individual date of birth is only asked to verify the above mentioned criteria. Dates of births are not recorded or published anywhere and the forms are shredded.

COLIN BUSH Electoral registration