Local councils 'spying on people's sex lives'

Local councils 'spying on people's sex lives'

Tuesday, 26, Aug 2008 05:25

Local authorities are routinely using surveillance powers to monitor couples' sleeping arrangements, according to information obtained under a freedom of information request.

Councils use the powers to evaluate residents' claims to single person council tax discounts, but local authorities are currently pushing for greater powers, including the right to enter peoples' homes to conduct bedroom inspections looking for a "secret boyfriend or girlfriend".

The Conservatives, who launched the freedom of information request, are saying the powers are further proof of Britain sleepwalking into a surveillance state.

"Councils will naturally wish to ensure that council tax discounts and benefits are not wrongly claimed," said local government secretary Eric Pickles.

"But I am concerned that innocent citizens will be spied on through heavy-handed and disproportionate use by town hall snoopers.

"There are far less intrusive and more cost-effective ways of vetting council tax, such as through data matching, rather than paying town hall officials to camp out overnight outside people's homes."

Rotherham Council published a surveillance dossier documenting the extent of their surveillance powers. These include:

• "Surveillance to take place in order to establish if vehicle registered to partner at address on two or more occasions... to substantiate the allegation of living together".
• "Surveillance to take place to establish if alleged partner leaves the property each morning. To establish if customer's partner is living at the property."
• "Drive past surveillance at property each morning and evening to see if vehicle is outside the property. Evidence to substantiate claim that customer may have landlord living with her."
• "To establish if partner living is property. To establish if customer has undeclared partner living at property."
• "Surveillance to take place to establish how often the customer’s partner’s vehicle is part at the property over a two week period. To establish if customer’s partner is living at the property."
• "To establish if partner living at property and working. To establish if partner living at property as husband and wife."

Government council tax inspectors the Valuation Office Agency are building a database of how many bedrooms properties contain in preparation for English council tax revaluation.

Recent figures show they know the details of 2.5 million homes which have one bedroom, 6.2 million with two bedrooms, 10 million with three bedrooms and 3.1 million with four bedrooms or more. Preparations are also understood to be taking place to undertake more intrusive inspections of people's homes.

"There are insufficient checks and balances to prevent people's sex lives being habitually monitored by state bureaucrats, purely because they claim a council tax discount for living alone," Mr Pickles said.