Agenda item

Report of the Head of Legal and Democratic Services:-

i)             Annual Review of the Council's use of powers and approval of RIPA Policy Report of the Head of Legal and Democratic Services.

ii)            Report of the Council’s use of powers under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 – Qurater 1 2016/17.

The Committee considered two reports of the Head of Legal and Democratic Services, the first which informed members about the Council’s use of powers under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA) during the period 1 April 2015 to 31 March 2016 and  the training undertaken by officers. The report further sought Members’ approval of the Council’s RIPA policy for the forthcoming year (for copy see file of minutes).

The second report provided detail relating to the Council’s use of powers under the Act during the period 1 April 2016 to 30 June 2016 (Quarter 1) (for copy see file of minutes).

The Governance Solicitor advised that the Consumer Protection Manager had been invited to attend the meeting of the Committee in January 2017 to provide some further details regarding surveillance activity undertaken.

Resolved:

(i)           That the annual report on the Council’s use of powers under RIPA be received.

(ii)          That the policy on the use of RIPA be approved.

(iii)         That the quarterly report on the Council’s use of RIPA for the period 1 April 2016 to 30 June 2016 be noted and that the use of RIPA was being used consistently with the Council’s policy and that the policy remained fit for purpose.