Nuneaton Lib Dems uncover abuse of council spying powers
The
Liberal Democrats locally have expressed concern that Nuneaton
and Bedworth Borough 
Council could be misusing powers which allow
them to spy on local people. According to information provided under
the Freedom of Information Act, the council have used the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) 39 times to spy on people in the
borough. In 2008 the powers have been used solely to check on whether
people are flouting the smoking ban.
Tim
Miller, spokesperson for Nuneaton and North Warwickshire Liberal
Democrats, responded to the council’s information disclosure saying
“These
powers were intended to help in the detection and prosecution of
serious crimes, including terrorism. The Council have used the powers
for some legitimate reasons. However, using RIPA to spy on people
suspected of smoking in public seems disproportionate and against the
spirit of what the powers were intended for.
I
agree that it is important that laws are followed, including the ban
on smoking in public. However, I question whether enforcing the
smoking ban in this way is a good use of tax payers’ money.”
Parliament’s
Home Affairs Select Committee has recently started to investigate the
use of RIPA by councils, following concern that local authorities are
misusing the powers. The Local Government Association has also called
on council’s to review the way these powers are used.
Tim
Miller added
“We
are increasingly hearing from government that police and other
authorities need stronger and stronger powers to protect us from the
threat or serious crime and terrorism. However, this shows that there
are insufficient safeguards put in place to ensure that such powers
are used for the purpose for which they were enacted. Councils need
to use their powers proportionately and responsibly otherwise they
risk losing public support when such measures really are needed.
I
hope that the new Conservative council will look at this information
and consider issuing guidance to council officials to ensure that
these spying powers are only used when absolutely necessary.”