Information governance privacy notice

1 Council contact details

West Northamptonshire Council

Registered Office:
One Angel Square
Angel Street
Northampton
NN1 1ED

www.westnorthants.gov.uk

2 Information that we hold

2.1 We currently collect and process the following data when dealing with requests for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, the Environmental Information Regulations 2004, UK General Data Protection Regulations and the Data Protection Act 2018.

Name
Contact information such as your address or email address
Evidence of your identification, such as your passport, driving licence or utility bills when making a Subject Access Request
We do not request any special category data such as your medical history or criminal convictions, however we recognise you may choose to provide special category information when you contact us

3 How the information is obtained

3.1 Most of the personal information we process is provided to us directly by you for one of the following reasons:

Respond to requests for information held by the council
Respond to requests for personal information held by the council
Investigate complaints or requests for an internal review
Deal with any requests to action information rights
Investigate security incidents or reports of a data breach

We also receive personal information indirectly, from the following sources in the following scenarios:

We may process other categories of personal data, including special category data held by other teams within the council, for example when responding to a Subject Access Request or;
When dealing with a request for disclosure from another agency with investigative powers

The information handled by the Information Governance Team may include special category data such as:

Racial or ethnic origin
Political opinions
Religious or philosophical beliefs
Trade union membership
Health or medical data
Sexual orientation
or
Criminal convictions

We do not rely on your consent to process your information, however if you do not provide us with certain details, we may not be able to respond to your request or enquiry in full.

3.2 The Information Governance Team collect and use personal information:

Where it is necessary to meet our legal obligations set out in law
When we are carrying out a task which is in the public interest which is supported in law
On the basis of substantial public interest when processing special category data, which will be proportionate to the reasons for processing

The legislation which supports this processing is:

Freedom of Information Act 2000
Environmental Information Regulations 2004
UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018
Local Government and Transparency Code 2015
Re-use of Public Sector Information 2015

4 What we do with the information

4.1 We use the information that you have given us to manage and administer information requests, reviews or complaints regarding information requests which are made to the council. This includes the logging and monitoring of requests to ensure responses are provided within statutory timescales.

We also use information obtained from other sources to respond to disclosure requests where the law permits.

4.2 We may share this information with the following:

Other teams within the council where law permits, or it is necessary to do so to complete a request
The Information Commissioner’s Office
North Northamptonshire Council
Service Providers such as IT system or software suppliers
Professional advisers such as lawyers or auditors
Agencies with investigative powers such as the Police, other Local Authorities or the Home Office

5 How long we keep your information for and how we securely dispose of it after use

5.1 We keep your personal information for all aspects of processing by the Information Governance Team in line with the council’s retention schedules.

5.2 We will securely dispose of your information in line with the council's retention schedules.

6 How we store your information

Your information is securely stored on the council’s systems in electronic format. The Council’s servers are based in the UK.

7 Your data protection rights

7.1 The law gives you a number of rights to control what personal information is used by us and how we can use it. Please see section 15 of the council’s Privacy Policy for further information.

7.2 Please be aware that your rights may differ depending on the lawful basis for processing your personal data.

8 Who to contact

8.1 If you would like further information about how we use your personal information, or you wish to exercise one of your data rights or you wish to complain about the use of your personal information please contact the Data Protection Officer.

8.2 If you are still dissatisfied once you have contacted the Data Protection Officer, you have the right to complain to the ICO.

The ICO’s address:
Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Helpline number: 0303 123 1113

You have a right to approach the Information Commissioner’s Office regarding your Information Rights at any time. Please visit Information Commissioner's Office website.

Completion and review dates

This privacy notice was completed on 25 February 2021
Privacy notice reviewed 15 March 2022
The privacy notice review date is March 2023

Last updated 06 July 2023