The Data Protection Act

Braintree District Council is a Data Controller for the purpose of the Data Protection Act.   The Council has notified the Information Commissioner’s Office of the types of personal information it processes and the purposes for which it does so.

The Information Commissioner's Office is the independent body responsible for overseeing the Data Protection Act and maintains a public register which contains the name and address of Data Controllers with a description of the kind of processing they do.  Anyone can access this register and if you wish to view the Council’s entry you can access it via the Information Commissioner’s Office Website.  www.ico.gov.uk

Also if you have questions about the use of your personal information, the Information Commissioner’s website offers useful advice and guidance.

Under the Data Protection Act 1998, we have a legal duty to protect any information we collect from you.   Braintree District Council respects your privacy. The information that you provide us with, or that is gathered automatically helps us to monitor our service and provide you with the services that you are entitled to as a resident of Braintree or visitor to our website.

What information do we collect?

We do not collect personal information about you when you visit the website unless you choose to provide it to us to take advantage of a specific service, for example when you complete an online form.

We will only collect personal details appropriate to the service you require. In some areas, this may simply mean registering your name, address and email details. Other on-line forms will require more information.

What do we use personal information for?

There are various reasons that we need to collect personal data. For example, we may need your contact details for correspondence purposes. Similarly, we may need information because of legal requirements.

Subject to your agreement, we may contact you to let you know about new online services, or get your feedback on how we're performing. In any event, we will only ever ask for information that is absolutely necessary and does not constitute an invasion of privacy.

We do not share any information we collect about you with other organisations.

Allowing your details to be used across other council services

We are committed to improve the quality of people's experience when they contact us.  By allowing your details to be used across other council services, you are allowing us to re-use information to minimise the time taken when you contact us in the future.

Please note that in agreeing to share these details you have not forfeited your rights as prescribed under the Data Protection Act 1998.

Your service entitlement from the Council will not be affected should you decide not to allow your data to be shared in this way.

Sharing and disclosing your information

Depending on the purpose for which we originally obtained your personal information and the use to which it is to be put, information may be shared with other departments/organisations.

If requested we may submit your information to law enforcement or government authorities including other local authorities.

In most cases we will not disclose personal data without consent.  However, there are situations where consent would not be required such as:

Where the Council is required to provide the information by law Where the information is needed to prevent or detect a crime Where the Council is obliged to publish the information by law Where disclosure is in the vital interests of the person concerned.

Email Messages

We are keen to ensure that we are providing our residents with services that they need. Consequently, you may receive occasional e-mail messages from Braintree District Council about Council news, recycling updates, events or other information which we think you may find interesting, if you have provided your email address to us for this purpose.

Information collected automatically to improve our site

We collect web statistics automatically about your visit to our site based on your IP address. This information is used to help us identify how many visitors we have to the site and which pages have been accessed.

This information does not identify you personally.

Competitions/Promotions

From time to time we operate competitions and promotions. Participation in these is optional. Information submitted might be submitted to third parties: check individual competition rules. You may also be given an option to sign up for a free email newsletter.

Surveys

On occasion we may conduct online surveys. This is used to gauge our service, collect demographic information and other information that we may find useful. These surveys are optional. We may share non-personal, aggregated information with third parties.

Access to your information

Individuals can find out if the Council holds any personal information by making a ‘subject access request’ under the Data Protection Act.

To make a request to the ICO for any personal information we may hold you need to put the request in writing addressing it to the Data Protection Officer.

If we do hold information about you, you can ask us to correct any mistakes by, once again, contacting the Data Protection Officer.

Policy changes

By using our site you agree to accept this privacy policy and are aware that our policy may change with time. Any changes to this policy will appear on this web page.