“Big Brother tactics” could see council tenants forced to have picture ID to prove they live in their own home.

Brighton and Hove City Council want to store the images on a central database in a bid to crack down on tenancy fraud.

Only people with religious or cultural objections to being photographed would be exempt from the scheme, but would have to find another way to prove their identity.

Residents at the council’s 12,500 properties are currently being consulted on the plans but it is likely the scheme will be agreed for new tenants at a meeting next week.

A proposal to introduce mobile copying technology for housing officers so they can scan tenant details directly into the database will also be considered as part of separate review of the housing service.

Tenants approached by The Argus responded angrily to the idea.

Graham Ennis, who lives in Dudeney Lodge, said: “These are Big Brother tactics by a lazy council that wants the right to do whatever it likes.

“If they ask me for a picture I shall give them one of Frankenstein or Osama Bin Laden. That’s the only reaction I have to it because it’s laughable."

Councillor Maria Caulfield, cabinet member for housing, said: “Tenants have asked us to clampdown on tenancy fraud to ensure only legitimate tenants live in our homes and with housing officers having up to 800 properties to look after each, photo ID is one of the only ways to verify a tenant’s identity.

“Only legitimate tenants should live in our homes because social housing is a precious resource that should be for those most in need of a home and it should be allocated in a fair and transparent way because demand for council housing in the city massively outstrips supply.”

Coun Caulfield will discuss the issue at the Housing Management Consultative Committee at Hove Town Hall on Monday.