The Home Secretary should be applauded for making it clear that there are limits to the powers that local authorities can or should have around intrusive snooping in the line of investigating matters that fall within their service areas.I have been very concerned that local government can regard itself as operating in a quasi-police role, it should act with extreme caution in exercising those powers it has. We are here to serve, we are here to provide essential services and provide community leadership.I recall a case where a farmer who chose to replace his artificial fertiliser bill with green compost, his gas bill with a wood burner & re-lay remote farm tracks with crushed rubble. A beacon of greenness one might assume, but he was arrested, his house searched & his kids computers seized. Apparently, in the eyes of the Enviro-police, all this amounted to fly-tipping, mafia style tax avoidance and general naughtiness. In the end it amounted to a guilty plea to having a Form A part 2, section 7 instead Form A part 2 section 8, or some such nonsense.I put him forward for an environmental hero's award.Of course there are circumstances where investigatory powers are needed, where housing benefit or council tax fraud is taking place, but local government should be hugely cautious around stepping outside its natural & appropriate role in our lives.Link to Daily Telegraph article - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/9329886/Town-hall-phone-records-ban-to-defuse-Coalition-snooping-row.html
