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Council boss in new 'Stalin' claim
A Preston council boss has been likened to Stalin for a second time in a row over Town Hall snoopers.
City council leader Ken Hudson has already been compared to the iron-fisted Soviet dictator, but now he is back in the firing line after he slammed plans to stop the local authority using terrorism laws to spy on residents.
Tory Coun Hudson spoke out after Home Office minister Vernon Coaker announced he was planning to stop councils using powers under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers (RIPA) Act to deal with minor offences like dog fouling and snooping on people who overfill their bins.
He described the move as a "backward step" and said there is no point in the authority trying to stop people dropping litter or letting their dogs foul pavements or parks if they do not have the power to spy on them.
But Lib Dem group leader Danny Gallagher accused Coun Hudson of being "Stalin-esque and taking liberties".
He said: "This is basically taking a sledgehammer to crack a nut and it is a nutty leader of the council who is supporting it."
Mr Coaker's announcement comes after Preston Lib Dem councillor Mark Jewell tabled a notice of motion in August this year in a bid to ensure that the council only uses the RIPA powers to investigate crime where conviction could lead to a "substantial period of custody".
Seventeen councillors initially told the Evening Post they would vote in favour of the motion – but only seven eventually did.
In the past 12 months, Preston Council has used RIPA 19 times to monitor people suspected of being noisy neighbours or benefit cheats.
Coun Hudson added: "We have got to actually see someone doing it before we can prosecute. If you can't patrol to see someone doing it, it is totally taking away the powers of local government to do what the public want."
Coun Jewell has welcomed Mr Coaker's stance.
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Coun Hudson was compared to former Soviet Union leader Joseph Stalin by Labour group leader John Collins in May after he unveiled a new six-person cabinet without speaking first to Coun Collins.
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Thursday 09 February 2012
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