Policies & Procedures

Witham St Hughs Parish Council recognises its responsibility to comply with the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) 2018 which regulates the use of personal data. This does not have to be sensitive data; it can be as little as a name and address.

General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR)

The GDPR sets out high standards for the handling of personal information and protecting individuals’ rights for privacy. It also regulates how personal information can be collected, handled and used. The GDPR applies to anyone holding personal information about people, electronically or on paper. Witham St Hughs Parish Council has also notified the Information Commissioner that it holds personal data about individuals.

When dealing with personal data, Witham St Hughs Parish Council staff and members must ensure that:

• Data is processed fairly, lawfully and in a transparent manner

This means that personal information should only be collected from individuals if staff have been open and honest about why they want the personal information.

• Data is processed for specified purposes only

This means that data is collected for specific, explicit and legitimate purposes only.

• Data is relevant to what it is needed for

Data will be monitored so that too much or too little is not kept; only data that is needed should be held.

• Data is accurate and kept up to date and is not kept longer than it is needed

Personal data should be accurate, if it is not it should be corrected. Data no longer needed will be shredded or securely disposed of.

• Data is processed in accordance with the rights of individuals

Individuals must be informed, upon request, of all the personal information held about them.

• Data is kept securely

There should be protection against unauthorised or unlawful processing and against accidental loss, destruction or damage.

Storing and accessing data

Witham St Hughs Parish Council recognises its responsibility to be open with people when taking personal details from them. This means that staff must be honest about why they want a particular piece of personal information.

Witham St Hughs Parish Council may hold personal information about individuals such as their names, addresses, email addresses and telephone numbers. These will be securely kept at the Witham St Hughs Parish Council Office and are not available for public access. All data stored on the Witham St Hughs Parish Council Office computers are password protected. Once data is not needed any more, is out of date or has served its use and falls outside the minimum retention time of Councils document retention policy, it will be shredded or securely deleted from the computer.

Witham St Hughs Parish Council is aware that people have the right to access any personal information that is held about them. Subject Access Requests (SARs) must be submitted in writing (this can be done in hard copy or email). If a person requests to see any data that is being held about them, the SAR response must detail:

• How and to what purpose personal data is processed
• The period Witham St Hughs Parish Council tend to process it for
• Anyone who has access to the personal data

The response must be sent within 30 days and should be free of charge.

If a SAR includes personal data of other individuals, Witham St Hughs Parish Council must not disclose the personal information of the other individual. That individual’s personal information may either be redacted, or the individual may be contacted to give permission for their information to be shared with the Subject.

Individuals have the right to have their data rectified if it is incorrect, the right to request erasure of the data, the right to request restriction of processing of the data and the right to object to data processing, although rules do apply to those requests.

Please see “Subject Access Request Procedure” for more details.

Confidentiality

Witham St Hughs Parish Council members and staff must be aware that when complaints or queries are made, they must remain confidential unless the subject gives permission otherwise. When handling personal data, this must also remain confidential.