Issue - meetings

Report of Cabinet Member Corporate Services

RESOLVED THAT:

1. The RIPA procedural guide be approved.

The Cabinet Member Corporate Services introduced the report. The report explained that the policy and procedures for the council’s use of the Regulatory Powers Act (RIPA were considered by Cabinet in April2010. They requested that Economy and Business Improvement Overview and Scrutiny Committee (EBI) be asked to look at the revised policy and procedure and to give their views on the document. There was a report on the use of the RIPA powers by the Office of Surveillance Commissioners in May and their recommendations were also taken into account.

EBI considered the revised guide on the 19 July 2010 and made a number of suggestions which were incorporated and subsequently reconsidered by them on 20 September 2010 and they recommended that the revised procedures be approved subject to the requirement for necessity and proportionality set out in paragraph 1.3 of the report.

A member commended the report and considered that the council was right to exercise constraint in the use of the new powers.

The Leader thanked the scrutiny committee for their input and welcomed their ongoing review of when the powers were used by the council.

RESOLVED THAT:

1.         The RIPA procedural guide be approved.