Freedom of Information

What we do

The Council is responsible for receiving and responding to requests for information made under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004, and for monitoring the Council’s performance responding to these requests.

Why we need your information and how we use it

In accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004, the Council has a legal obligation to respond to valid requests for information made in line with the provisions of this legislation.

The information you provide us with will be used for the following purposes:

• Confirm that you have submitted a valid request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 or the Environmental Information Regulations 2004.
• Respond to your request.
• Monitor our performance in responding to requests.
• Help us to develop or improve our services

While we report on our performance in responding to requests, we do this in a way that does not publically identify individuals.

What is our power to obtain and use personal data?

Individuals have the right of access to information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, the Environmental Information Regulation 2004 and the Re-Use of Public Sector Regulations 2015.  This requires any requester to provide a name and correspondence address.  Furthermore, they place a legal obligation on the council to process such requests.

What type of information we collect

Under Section 8 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, all requesters are required to provide the following information to make a valid request:

• Name
• A contact address (this can be a postal address, email address or social media details)

Who we may share your information with

Your data may be shared with the following:

• Council departments responsible for responding to your request.
• Other partner agencies that provide services on our behalf, and may need to respond to elements of your request.
• Agencies with whom we have a duty to co-operate, such as the police.
• Should you complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office about the handling of your request, we may need to share your data with them as part of their investigation of your complaint, for example if they request copies of correspondence regarding your request.
• If your request relates to your own personal information, your request will be shared with the Data Protection team so that they can contact you regarding your Right of Access (subject access request).

Your data will be held securely in an external computer system Pentana Performance.

How long we keep your information

In line with the Council’s Retention Policy, your data will be held for a period of 6 years, starting from the date of your request.

Version date

June 2019