The Council and democracy Data protection, personal information and your rights

Accessing personal information we hold about you

You have the right to ask for information we hold about you; this is a subject access request. 

When you make this request: 

  • we must give you access to the information you ask for, unless an exemption applies 
  • we will not normally charge you in limited circumstances the law allows the Council to apply a reasonable fee to your request, or refuse your request, we will contact you if this applies when you make your request. 
  • in most cases, we must complete your request within a month of receiving it. If your request is very complicated, covering many years and different services, we may take up to an additional two months. If we need additional time we will tell you as soon as we know. 

If you are unable to make the request yourself you can ask another person such as a friend, relative or solicitor to do this for you. This person must supply evidence (such as written authority from you) to confirm that they are entitled to act on your behalf. 

How to make a Subject Access Request 

To make a subject access request you must: 

  • tell us what information you want to see. This can be done by letter, email, online form or verbally. 
  • we may ask you to show us proof of your identity. If we require proof of ID, we will ask for two forms of this, such as  : 
    • a utility or council tax bill with your name and address 
    • something with your name and photo, such as a drivers license or passport 

If you are asking for someone else’s personal information, we will need a signed letter from them confirming they want you to access this information, or provide other evidence that you are entitled to the information (e.g. proof of parental responsibility for a young child or power of attorney). 

You can make a subject access request by: 

Your request does not have to be in writing, but it may help us respond more effectively if it is.  

When we receive your request, we will check it and confirm when we will complete it by. 

Once your information has been gathered we will send the information that you are entitled to be provided with to you by a secure physical or electronic means of delivery. 

When we can’t give you all the information we hold on you 

We will share as much information as we can with you but some exceptions which may apply on a case by case basis, for example: 

  • If providing you with information would be likely to compromise the way crime is detected or prevented, catching or prosecuting offenders, or assessing or collecting taxes or duties.   
  • In some cases your right to see certain education, health and social work details may also be limited by law.   

Sometimes we may need to withhold your information where disclosing it would reveal personal information about other people

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