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Data Protection

We have policies in place to ensure that we only use any personal data that you may give us for purposes for which you have provided it and in compliance with the Data Protection Act 2018 and UK General Data Protection Regulation (UKGDPR).

Data protection regulation requires every data controller who is processing personal information to register with the Information Commissioner’s Office unless they are exempt.

The council has two registrations:

  • Data controller name: Vale of White Horse District Council Registration number: Z6666984
  • Data controller name: Electoral registration officer for Vale of White Horse District Council Registration number: Z2612241

To view our registration, please go to the register on the Information Commissioners Office website and enter the registration number above which starts with Z.

Our commitment to you

In order to comply with the requirements of the current legislation we will ensure that:

  • Any personal data will be collected, used and held, lawfully and appropriately.
  • We will tell you why and how we process your data through our Privacy Notices. Please see the pages listed to the right for more information about Privacy Notices.
  • Regular data sharing with our external partners and other relevant agencies will be subject to information data sharing or data processing agreements. These partnerships will only be entered into where there is a clear statutory power enabling us to do so.
  • We will only share your data if the law permits us to do so. Some personal data will appear on file records, which by law we are required to keep and make publicly available.
  • Individuals or organisations contracted to process personal data on behalf of the council are required to demonstrate compliance with the current data protection legislation and satisfy the council that they have the necessary technical and organisational measures in place to protect personal data.  This will be set out in their contract with us.
  • We have policies, procedures and guidance for staff and councillors which are regularly reviewed and updated to ensure everyone understands their responsibilities towards protecting personal data.
  • Data Protection training is mandatory for all staff. If any employee, councillor or persons acting on our behalf are found to knowingly or recklessly breach the council’s Data Protection Policy then appropriate disciplinary and/or legal action will be taken.
  • Any new projects or changes to existing processes that involve personal data will undergo a data protection impact assessment.
  • We will keep your personal data secure.
  • We will maintain a detailed Record of Processing Activity identifying what each service team does with your data.
  • There is a designated Data Protection Officer within the council, supported by an Information Governance Team who have specific responsibility and knowledge about data protection compliance.

Your rights over your personal data

The current data legislation provides the following rights for individuals, but these may not apply in all cases as they depend on our lawful basis for processing your data:

  • 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
  • rights in relation to automated decision making and profiling.

We advise you which lawful basis we may rely on within our Privacy Notices, see information in the link to the right of this page. Most of the council’s services form part of our statutory duties so our lawful basis is that of public task, hence the right of erasure does not apply.  For more information on your rights please see our privacy notice pages and the Information Commissioner’s Office website.

Finding out what data we hold about you (known as your ‘right to access’ or ‘subject access request’)

You are entitled to ask the council what personal data is held about you. To do this, you can either:

In all cases please include copies of two different documents as evidence of your name and current address e.g. a current utility bill and recent bank statement (dated within the last three months) and your passport or photo ID driving licence. This is to make sure that we only release personal data to the correct person and only once we know we have verified who is making the request. We may ask to see original documents.

We will provide you with your personal data within a calendar month of receiving your request, subject to proof of your identity being provided and unless exceptional circumstances apply, in which case we will contact you. We aim to acknowledge receipt of your request within two working days.

Please note that we can only supply you with your own personal data and not to that of others, including other members of your household. We apply redactions to any data relating to other people unless we have their consent to share. You should also note that the right of access does not extend to providing you with every document containing your personal data.

How to find out more or contact us about your personal data and related concerns

If you believe we have not handled your personal data as we have described here, please contact us by email to data.protection@southandvale.gov.uk and your concerns will be fully investigated.  If, after we have investigated your concerns, you are not satisfied with our conclusion, you have the right to refer the matter to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).  You can reach the ICO through their website or call them on 0303 123 1113.  Their mailing address is: 

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

We have a Data Protection Officer, Nick Bennett who can be contacted by email at data.protection@southandvale.gov.uk or by writing to the council’s address at the bottom of this page.

Contact us - Information Governance Team

data.protection@southandvale.gov.uk

Vale of White Horse District Council
Abbey House, Abbey Close
Abingdon
OX14 3JE

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