Are council officials spying on you?

2.09.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Mon 23rd Jun 2008

At a full council meeting this week the Liberal Democrats will demand to know if Norwich City Council is using 'surveillance' techniques to spy on Norwich residents.

Research highlighted by the party has found that thousand of middle managers in local councils are being authorised to spy on people suspected of petty offences using powers designed to prevent serious crime and terrorism.

Research has shown that councils are using powers granted by the RIPA (Regulatory of Investigatory Act) to tackle a variety of petty offences. The powers, passed in 2000 to tackle terrorism, have been used:

In Derby, Bolton and Gateshead to tackle dog fouling

In Bolton to tackle littering

In Liverpool to investigate claims brought against the council

When RIPA was passed in 2000, only nine organisations, such as the police and security services, were allowed to use it, that number has risen to 792, including 474 councils. The act, which was expanded in 2003, gives councils the right to carry out secret surveillance of citizens and obtain phone and internet records.

Amongst the 46 local councils that contributed to the research the act was used 1,343 times. The Act has been used by councils to conduct covert surveillance operations against residents. Human Rights Lawyers have claimed some councils may be acting illegally and recent newspaper reports have compared the action of local councils to former eastern bloc police tactics.

As Eaton Ward Councillor Rosalind Wright comments: "We need to find a balance. Powers granted in the RIPA were meant to tackle terrorism and serious crime and that's what they should be used for. Local councils should not be conducting covert surveillance operations to tackle petty offences. Most residents are good, honest, hardworking people and they deserve privacy and respect."

The Liberal Democrats will demand to know if powers are being used and to seek a guarantee that the council will not resort to using these powers without careful consideration.

As Cllr Wright outlined "Firstly we need to know if the council is using these powers and then we need to ensure any use or future use is regulated. Over-zealous bureaucrats in local councils cannot be allowed to play James Bond; any use of these powers should go through to senior management, elected members or Judges to ensure it is legal, proportionate and justified. We do not want to create big-brother state where laws passed to tackle terrorism are being misused by local councils."

The following question will be put to the executive at a full council meeting on Tuesday 24th June:

The Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) was passed by the government in 2000 in order, it was claimed, to tackle terrorism and serious crime. A report form the Press Association has found that local councils are using powers under the act to tackle 'terrorist' activity such as dog fouling and littering. Could the Leader of the Executive tell us if this council has ever used powers granted in the Act and, if so, what for?