Can the clerk open councillors letters and is it illegal

Question

Can the clerk or office assistant open letters hand delivered to the parish  office with a councillors title and name on it, is it illegal for any office staff to open councillors letters without permisiion and can they be dismissed for doing so and should it be reported to the police or any other authority?

 

Can they then scan the letter without approval and store it in the councils computer?

 

If letters are hand delivered or posted to a councillor at the parish office can the clerk withhold them and not pass them onto the councillor concerned and is it illegal and what can be done?

Answer 1

This sounds to be highly irregular. It may be for example, that letters addressed " Mr X, Chairman etc." ought to be opened by clerical staff because the form of address might indicate that the letter is in relation to council business. Any correspondence addressed more personally should surely be passed to the adressee. I would think that internal procedures need looking at and I am not sure, in the first instance at least, that it isnecessarily criminal.