Overview
Any personal information which Northumberland County Council
keeps about you, or you submit to the Council, is governed and
protected by the Data Protection Act 1998. This means that we
won't keep more personal information than is necessary, it will be
kept accurately, safely and securely, and won't be shared with
other organisations unless we are required by law to do so.
The Data Protection Act has eight principles, which all
organisations must ahere to. We will ensure that these are
complied with when processing your personal information:
- Fair and lawfully processed
- Processed for limited purposes (the purpose it was collected
for)
- Adequate, relevant and not excessive
- Accurate and kept up to date
- Kept only for as long as necessary
- In accordance with your rights
- Kept secure
- Not transferred to other countries who don't have an adequate
level of protection
Northumberland County Council is registered on the Public
Register of Data Controllers with the registration number Z1727733
- this entry identifies what kind of data is kept and why we keep
it.
Click here to access the Register.
What is Personal Information?
Personal information includes any data which can be used to
identify a living person. Some information is identified as
sensitive data such as ethnic origin, religious belief and
sexuality - this kind of information is subject to additional rules
aand safeguards. It may also include photographs taken at
public events and venues or for the promotion of Council
services. If you can be identified from any of these
photographs we will ask your permission before publication.
Information is also used for statistical and research purposes but
will not include personal data.
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How can I see what information you hold about me?
You can ask to see the information which the
Council keeps about you at any time, by completing the Subject
Access Request Form in our Subject
Access Information Pack which can be downloaded and
printed out from the link on this page. You can also
write, phone or email to request a form to be sent out to you
from the Contact Details above.
There is a fee of £10 for this service and you
will be required to provide two original forms of
identification. Suitable proof of identification may
include a driving licence, passport or a recent utility
bill. At least one of the documents must bear the individual's
signature and at least one must contain the individual's home
address. We will respond to you within 40 days of receiving
this.
Why might information not be provided to me?
Some data may be withheld, for instance if it
also refers to other people, or may compromise crime prevention. If
this is the case we will still tell you the kind of data we keep
and why.
As a general rule you are not able to see data
about anyone else. In some circumstances you may be able to do so,
if you have written permission from the subject of the data, or you
are a parent seeking information from your child's school records.
In such cases we may need to ask for additional information from
you before data can be released.
The Council is also required by law to protect
the public funds it administers, and may therefore share
information provided to it with other relevant bodies in order to
prevent and detect fraud - Click here for further information
It is important that any personal data is accurate and
up-to-date. If you think the information we keep about you
may not be accurate you can let us know by using the Contact
Details or the Online Form from the link on this page. We will
respond within 21 days.
More information about Data Protection can be found in the
website links below.
Schools
Schools are their own Data Controllers and are therefore
responsible for the information they hold. Schools keep
information on pupils in order to support their teaching and
learning, to monitor and report on their progress and to
provide appropriate pastoral care. This information includes
contact details, national curriculum assessment results, attendance
information, and other data such as ethnic group, special
educational needs and relevant medical information. From time
to time schools are required to pass this data on to various
government agencies.
If you want to access personal data held by schools, you should
contact the appropriate school/s direct. Click here for schools' contact details
Useful links:
Subject
Access Information Pack
The Data
Protection Act 1998
The Information Commissioner’s
Website
