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Council votes to carry on spying
Preston councillors have performed an astonishing U-turn by rejecting a move to tone down Big Brother powers allowing the authority to snoop on residents.
Larches councillor Mark Jewell proposed Preston Council take a landmark stand against using anti-terror laws to spy on people for offences like littering or being noisy.
And when the Evening Post spoke to 26 councillors about the proposal last week, 17 said they were minded to vote in favour. Six said they were undecided and three said they would vote against.
But, in a stormy council meeting, just seven councillors eventually supported the move.
Ten of those who told the Evening Post they favoured the move changed their minds when it came to the crunch.
These included deputy mayor Christine Abram, deputy labour leader Matthew Brown and Tory cabinet member Neil Cartwright.
Coun Jewell's motion called for the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) only to be used to investigate crime where conviction could lead to a "substantial period of custody."
>> Preston could snub anti-terrorism laws
>> Councillor's spy camera anger
Coun Jewell said the Government had given councils "unprecedented snooping powers that affect each and every one of us".
In 12 months Preston Council has used RIPA 19 times to monitor people suspected of being noisy neighbours or benefit cheats.
Coun Jewell added: "I do not recognise any of these investigations as being for serious crime or terrorism. They could be pursued through non-intrusive investigations and still taken through the courts."
But council leader Ken Hudson told members the motion "effectively castrates the council."
St George's Coun James Hull said the motion was "nonsense on stilts".
He said the act was aimed at regulating investigatory powers.
And he said the idea of the chief executive of Preston Council sanctioning RIPA to spy on terrorists and serious criminals was "comical and nonsensical."
After the meeting Coun Jewell said Tory members of the council were "obviously not on the same wavelength" as former shadow home secretary David Davies, who took a stand over civil liberties.
Brookfield Labour Coun John Browne, who said Governments since 1980 had "nibbled away and destroyed" civil liberties, had been told he had to vote against the motion.
Council chief executive Jim Carr said the motion would effectively leave Preston Council with no scope to use surveillance powers as they would never be asked to carry out terrorism or crime surveillance.
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Weather for Preston
Thursday 09 February 2012
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