Individual privacy - your rights

As a Council we may use (process) your information (personal data) for many different reasons. Data protection law gives you a number of rights to control what personal information is used by us and how we use it.

Your right to be informed 

We must inform you if we are using your personal information. This information will cover why we are using your information, what type of data we use, how long we will keep it for, and who we may share it with. This is called privacy information and you will be made aware of this when we collect your data. 

For more information view our Privacy notices. 

Your right of access 

You have the right to ask for a copy of the information we hold about you, this is known as a Data Subject Access Request (DSAR).  

You can ask for this information verbally or in writing, or by using our DSAR form:

Make a Data Subject Access Request  

We will provide you with a copy of your information free of charge and within one month. However, we may need longer if you are asking for a lot of data but we will let you know this and why we need more time. 

For more information about the process for requesting a copy of your records, view our DSAR Policy.

Data Subject Access Request (DSAR) Policy

Your right to rectification 

You have the right to ask for your information to be corrected if you feel it is inaccurate or incomplete. You can make this request verbally or in writing but we recommend using our exercise your rights form to make it easier to explain your concerns, provide evidence, and tell us how you want the information corrected.  

We may not always be able to make these changes but we will respond to you within one month to let you know what we have done and why. 

Your right to be forgotten 

You can ask us to delete any information we hold about you, however we are only able to do this in certain circumstances. This could be if you have previously given us permission to use your information but now want to withdraw your consent. You can ask us to delete your information verbally or in writing but we suggest you use our exercise your rights form to make it easier to tell us what you want deleting and why, and to provide any evidence. We will advise you within one month if we have deleted your information and if not, the reasons why. 

Your right to restriction 

You can ask us to limit the ways we use your information if you feel it is inaccurate or if you object to how we are using it. You can make this request verbally or in writing but we recommend using our exercise your rights form to make it easier to tell us what information you want restricted and why. We will take all reasonable steps to restrict the use of your data and inform you within one month what we have done and why. 

Your right to data portability 

In some circumstances you can ask for your personal information to be transferred electronically to you or to another organisation. However this only applies if we rely on consent to use your information, or if we are using the data as part of a contract we have with you. It is likely that data portability will not apply to most of the services you receive from the Council. However, you can still make a request for consideration verbally, in writing or by using our exercise your rights form to make it easier to provide the necessary details.  

Your right to object 

You have a right to object to us using your personal data in certain circumstances. This may include when we promote our services to you, known as direct marketing. You can also object if we use your data when carrying out tasks in the public interest or for historical, research or statistical purposes. You can make this request verbally, in writing or by using our exercise your rights form to tell us why you object to us using your information in this way. We will consider the request and will stop using the data unless we have a legitimate reason not to. 

Your rights in relation to automated processing 

Automated processing is when decisions are made about you without any human involvement. This type of processing is only used when the decision is necessary for entering into a contract, is authorised by law or where you have given consent. This right gives you the opportunity to question any decisions made about you by a computer and understand the reasons behind the decision and how it could affect you. If you would like to challenge an automated decision you can do this verbally, in writing or by using our exercise your rights form. 

After you have made a request

When you make a request to exercise one of your rights, we will need to confirm your identity and whether or not we hold your personal information. We will acknowledge your request within 1 working day of receipt and provide a response no later than one month thereafter. This timescale starts the day after we receive the request and proof of identification has been provided and verified. If it will take longer for us to deal with your request, we will let you know the reason why as soon as possible. 

You can make your request by contacting the Information Governance team, who will be able to respond and provide the necessary advice and guidance, using the details below: 

• email: foiandcomplaints@stockton.gov.uk 
• telephone: 01642 527521 

If you are unhappy with the way your request has been handled contact us first.  If you remain dissatisfied you can make a complaint to the Information Commissioner's Office. This service is free of charge.