Is the Council using ‘Big Brother’ spies?

Councils stand accused of the use of covert surveillance powers under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) — designed to tackle terrorism - to tackle petty crimes such as noise nuisance and fly-tipping.

But is Rochdale Borough Council doing so?

Despite a Freedom of Information request by pressure group Big Brother Watch, Rochdale Borough Council has failed to provide the information.

RIPA allows authorities to use surveillance and information gathering to prevent crime. But some councils have been accused of using them for petty reasons — such as dog fouling, spying on village paperboys, or checking on parents making school admission applications.

Critics say RIPA is an erosion of civil liberties.

The new coalition Government has pledged to ban the use of the powers by councils unless they are signed off by a magistrate and required for stopping serious crime.