Thousands of council tax inspectors will no longer have the power to enter private homes and businesses, under new proposals published by Eric Pickles.
Mr Pickles is looking to change laws that give officials from Valuation Office the power to enter private property to value them for council tax or business rates.
Under the plans, officials would have to go before a judicial tribunal to access a property without the consent of the owner.
Mr Pickles said the plans were part of the Government’s efforts to crack down on ‘snoopers’, which include banning spy cars and bin inspections.
'I am a firm believer that we should be cutting down on the number of government snoopers who can barge into a person’s home,’ he said.
‘We are now curtailing the powers of council tax inspectors. This complements the steps we have taken to stop a council tax revaluation and terminate the tax revaluation database to protect hard-working people from unwanted tax rises.’