The Data Protection Act 1998
What the Data Protection Act
does
Access Rights to Personal
Information
How Are Requests for
Information Made?
Charging for the
Information
Time taken to Process the
Request for Information
Completing the Data Subject
Access Request
Proof of Identity
The
Council reserves the right to refuse certain requests
Complaints to Wyre Forest
District Council
Complaints to the
Information Commissioner
Wyre Forest District
Council’s Data Protection Policy and Registration
What the Data Protection Act does
The Data Protection Act is designed to safeguard and protect
information or data that the Council processes and holds about
you.
The Council is required by law to process information in accordance
with the eight principles of ‘good information handling’, which say
that data must:
- Be fairly and lawfully processed
- Be processed for specific purposes
- Be adequate, relevant and not excessive
- Be accurate and kept up to date
- Not be kept for longer than necessary
- Be processed in line with people's rights
- Be processed and stored securely
- Not be transferred to other counties who do not have adequate
data protection.
Access Rights to Personal Information
You have the right to request ‘personal
information’ held about you by the Council on computers or in paper
records subject to certain exceptions. This is called a ‘Subject
Access Request’.
How are Requests for Information Made?
You can make a request in writing to the
Council on a ‘Subject Access Request’ form. A request can only be
accepted on these forms which are available from the Council as
follows:
1. By telephone to the Council’s Customer Service Centre on 01562
732928
The Council will charge you an Access Fee of
£10 in advance, for each ‘Subject Access Request’ received.
Time taken to Process the Request for Information
The Council will provide the information to
you within the 40-day time period laid down by the law.
Completing the Data Subject Access Request
When completing the form, please be as
specific as possible about the information you wish to see and give
us as much information as you can to help us find it.
Proof of Identity
To ensure that your personal information is
not given to the wrong person we need you to be able to prove your
identity. Such proof could include:
- Birth Certificate
- Passport
- Driving Licence
- Any other official documents that can verify your name and
address
The Council reserves the right to refuse certain requests
- Where the information is not in a permanent format
- Where the information could affect the way that crime is
detected or prevented
- Where the information could compromise the capture or
prosecution of offenders
- Where the information could affect the assessment or collection
of taxes or duty
- Where providing the information would involve disproportionate
effort.
Complaints to Wyre Forest District Council
Any complaints about the way that the Council manages Data
Protection can be made to the Council’s Data Protection Officer who
can be contacted as follows:
* By telephone on 01562 732928
* By fax on 01299 879688
* By e-mail to
corporate.complaints@wyreforestdc.gov.uk
* By
completing the online complaint form
Visit our website information page to find out
how to make a complaint.
Complaints to the Information Commissioner
Complaints may be made at any time to the Information Commissioner
about the way in which Wyre Forest District Council or any other
organisation is processing information about you. The Information
Commissioner, however is unlikely to consider a complaint about the
Council unless it has passed through the Council’s own complaints
procedure first.
Contact details for the Information Commissioner. You can write
to:
The Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Telephone: 01625 545745
Fax: 01625 524510
E-mail:
mail@ico.gsi.gov.uk
Website:
http://www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk/
Wyre Forest District Council's Data Protection Policy and
Registration
For more information, you can
download the
Council’s Data Protection Policy 
(86K).
Wyre Forest District Council’s Data Protection Registration entry –
Z6103875, may be viewed at the Civic Centre, Stourport-on-Severn,
DY13 8UJ, or on the Information Commissioner’s website under the
Public Register of Data Controllers.
