Privacy Notice

Bromsgrove District Council is committed to protecting your privacy when you use council services.

The Privacy Notice below explains how the Council uses information about you and the ways in which we protect your privacy.

Bromsgrove District Council has an overarching shared service agreement in place with Redditch Borough Council.

What is Personal Data?

Personal data means data which relates to a living individual who can be identified from that data. Or, from that data and other information which is in the possession of, or is likely to come into the possession of Redditch Borough Council.

What are your rights?

You have the right to request the following, the council will consider any request inline with the current regulations.

• The right to be informed
• The right of access
• The right to rectification
• The right to erasure
• The right to restrict processing
• The right to data portability
• The right to object

What Level of Personal Data is used?

Where necessary Bromsgrove District Council processes personal data to deliver our services effectively; where possible, the data that we process will be anonymised or pseudonymised. 

Why we use personal information?

We may need to use some information about you to:

• deliver services and support to you;
• manage services;
• train workers;
• help investigate any worries or complaints you have about your services;
• keep track of spending on services;
• check the quality of services; and
• help with research and planning of new services.

Web-forms

When you complete a form on the website, that form is sent to the relevant department within the council. A copy of that form is saved on the web-servers for 28 days in an encrypted form and then deleted.

How can you access the information we hold about you?

You have the right to ask for all the information we have about you and your services. When we receive a request from you in writing, we must normally give you access to everything we have recorded about you. However, we will not let you see any parts of your record which contain:

•  Confidential information about other people; or
• Information a care professional thinks will cause serious harm to your or someone else's physical or mental well-being; or
• If we think that a crime may be prevented or found out by disclosing information to you.

How do we keep information secure?

We will take appropriate steps to make sure we hold records about you (on paper and electronically) in a secure way, and we will only make them available to those who have a right to see them. Our security includes:

• Encryption
• Access controls on systems
• Security training for all staff

How long do we keep your personal information?

Bromsgrove District Council keeps personal information in line with our retention and disposal schedule,

You have the right to request that Bromsgrove District Council stop processing your personal data in relation to any council service. However, if this request is approved this may cause delays or prevent us delivering a service to you. Where possible we will seek to comply with your request but we may need to hold or process information in connection with one or more of the Councils legal functions.

Who will we share your personal information with?

The council collects data from you through our interactions with you. We use a number of commercial companies and partners to either store personal information or to manage it on our behalf. Where we have these arrangements there are always agreements in place to ensure that the organisations we work with comply with data protection law.  We use the services of our data processors, for example when sending letters and sending emails. Any processing of sensitive personal data is assessed in more detail before sharing.

We may also share your personal information when we feel there is a good reason that is more important than protecting your confidentiality. This does not happen often, but we may share your information:

For the detection and prevention of crime/fraudulent activity; or

• If there are serious risks to the public, our staff or to other professionals;
• To protect a child; or
• To protect adults who are thought to be at risk, for example if they are frail, confused or cannot understand what is happening to them.

When using personal data for research purposes, the data will be anonymised to avoid the identification of an individual, unless consent has been given for the use of the personal data.

We do not sell personal information to any other organisation for the purposes of direct marketing. 

Information is not transferred overseas

Data protection Officer (DPO)

Bromsgrove District Councils Data Protection Officer is Mark Hanwell who oversees the Information Management team. To contact the DPO or the information management team email information.management@bromsgroveandredditch.gov.uk

Where can I get advice, or lodge an official complaint?

For independent advice about data protection, privacy and data sharing issues, or to lodge a complaint if you think your data has been mishandled, you can contact the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) at:

Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF

Tel: Helpline 0303 123 1113 or text service 01625 545 745.

Alternatively, visit ico.org.uk or email casework@ico.org.uk.

To find out more about your rights visit www.ico.org.uk To make a rights request or for your information email foi@bromsgrove.gov.uk