A new independent inquiry will investigate how Bristol City Council officers monitored the social media of parents of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). A majority of councillors have now voted to call on the mayor to set up an inquiry into the ongoing "scandal".
Calls for an inquiry began after emails leaked this summer revealing how council staff collected and shared a dossier of critical social media posts, cross-referencing anonymous Twitter accounts with private Facebook wedding photos.
Two parents monitored by the council volunteered for the Bristol Parent Carer Forum, a local charity representing parents and carers of children with SEND. A long-running row led to the council scrapping its support for the charity’s funding.
