Council admits spying on family

[jumpy]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/dorset/7341179.stm

Poole council said it used the legislation to watch a family at home and in their daily movements because it wanted to know if they lived in the catchment area for a school, which they wanted their three-year-old daughter to attend.

Apparently the family were considering moving and asked the council about the school catchment area for their youngest child to attend the same school where their 2 other kids went already - council replied that there'd be no problem.
News on TV said some 'concerned members of the public' grassed them up to the council.

Surely an appropriate use of council time, resources and powers... checking to see if you're not defrauding school catchement areas.

[Trex]

Be interesting to follow this and see what happens. There are some much easier and less offensive ways to check where they live. Please keep us posted.

[XabbaRus]

This is the whole point though with these new anti-terrorism powers. They can be used for the wrong reasons and the more it happens the easier it will be and soon we will all be under suspicion.

[Trex]

Originally Posted by XabbaRus

This is the whole point though with these new anti-terrorism powers. They can be used for the wrong reasons and the more it happens the easier it will be and soon we will all be under suspicion.

The remedy for that is to scream loudly whenever such laws are being misused. It's that sort of action that produces precedents, clarifying regulations, etc to specify how the original law may be used.

The fact that this has hit the media is, to me, reassuring. It means that the govt (at whatever level) is being forced to defend its actions, to explain them openly and publicly. The more light is shed on this, the less likely it is that the law will be misused.

(On the other hand, of course, the national govt may approve such use, which would indeed be a real blow to liberty in the UK.)

[STEED]

Originally Posted by XabbaRus

This is the whole point though with these new anti-terrorism powers. They can be used for the wrong reasons and the more it happens the easier it will be and soon we will all be under suspicion.

We're almost there, crud.

We live in a Police State, so why are they not going around arresting people left right and centre? Answer are liberal laws, all it will take is one good terrorist attack and good bye freedom.

As for the council issue I am not that surprised, they love wasting money and jacking up the Rates by blaming us the voter or the opposition.

[Trex]

To paraphrase Honest Abe, democracy is the bludgeoning of the people, by the people, for the people.

[mrbeast]

Originally Posted by Trex

To paraphrase Honest Abe, democracy is the bludgeoning of the people, by the people, for the people.

Democracy sucks..........just not as much as the alterntenatives.

[FIREWALL]

Just so I can understand this.

How doe's this council compare say to my city hall in USA.

Is this council elected by the local people it seems to have unlimited power over ?

[jumpy]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_g...ent_in_England

Probably more than you'd ever want to know about local councils in the UK.

Most city/county or district councils are elected locally, and can have mainstream or independent political membership - ie my city council is Labour, though most political denominations are represented in some number or other.

here's our lot:
http://www.cabinet.leicester.gov.uk/...asp?GL=1&bcr=1

and their member attendence summary:
http://www.cabinet.leicester.gov.uk/...nceSummary.asp

I like this bit:

In attendance
The number of meetings that the councillor attended in a capacity other than committee member, for example a voluntary attendance out of personal interest for a topic being discussed.

:rotfl: