Personal data

What is personal data, why do we need it and what's the law around using it

What is personal data?
Personal data can be anything that identifies and relates to a living person. This can include information that when put together with other information can then identify a person. For example, this could be your name and contact details. 

The personal data processing by the council in order to perform its official tasks includes:

  • names, titles, aliases, photographs.
  • contact details such as telephone numbers, addresses and email addresses.
  • gender, age, marital status, nationality, education/work history, academic/professional qualifications, hobbies, family composition and dependents.
  • financial identifiers such as bank account numbers, payment card numbers, payment/transaction identifiers, policy numbers, and claim numbers.

Why do we need your personal information?
We may need to use information about you to:

  • deliver services and support to you
  • manage those services we provide to you
  • train and manage the employment of our workers who deliver those services
  • help investigate any worries or complaints you have about our services
  • keep track of spending on services
  • check the quality of services; and
  • to help with research and planning of new services. 

How the law allows us to use your personal information
The law requires that we provide you with information about the lawful basis on which we process your personal data, and for what purpose(s).

Most commonly, we will process your data on the following lawful grounds:

  • where it is necessary to comply with a legal obligation;
  • where it is necessary for the performance of a task in the public interest;
  • where it is necessary for our legitimate interests;
  • where it is necessary to perform the contract we have entered into with you.

In a small number of cases and where other lawful bases do not apply, we will process your data on the basis of your consent.

Continue to next section - Special category personal data