And I've found, in my dealings with my own local authority, they are acting unlawfully much of the time because the law has become a mythical mishmash to them. Someone at some point misinterpreted it and then passed on the misinterpretation. This happened multiple times until the whole scene was strewn with people who are convinced they are acting lawfully. So, even the officers that could be well-meaning are blinkered and operating in ignorance of the law. This in itself can create a massive problem, even if you don't then factor in deliberacy like the sort you are reporting here.
I think a massive problem exists wherever there is a disconnect between the 'customer' and the 'service provider'. Hell! These people are supposed to be service providers. They 'work for us', I was told by a county councillor during our work with Staffordshire County Council [who were issuing school orders to home schooled kids who happened to be on holiday when they made their unlawful house visits]. We were also told we can't just sit back and rely on them to do their job lawfully; we had to be engaged!
I think the disconnect brought about by these people & departments being paid via taxes enables these people and departments to arrogantly act upon people rather than offer a service to them. Tax paid services are often very poor and often corrupted, as you are reporting.