The Principle Lawyer for Litigation and Governance presented the report of the Director of Law and Corporate Services which provided an annual update on issues relevant to certain types of surveillance activity which the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 enabled local authorities to carry out. It was reported that in 2023 there had been three applications under RIPA made to the Magistrates’ Court to enable test purchases to be made by juveniles (under the supervision of Trading Standards Officers) in conjunction with national enforcement exercises, from retailers who were suspected

of selling e-cigarettes to young persons under the age of 18, and one application for the citing of a covert CCTV camera at a location in the Borough for the purposes of investigating incidents of fly tipping.

Members queried the outcomes of the applications made under RIPA in 2023. The Principal Lawyer for Litigation and Governance confirmed that ongoing legal proceedings were under consideration by trading standards in relation to underage sale of e-cigarettes, whilst incidents of flytipping ceased to occur following installation of the covert camera at that location.

Resolved – That the use made by the Council of covert surveillance between 1 January 2023 and 31 December 2023 be noted.