Information Offices Privacy Notice
The Information Offices at New Forest District Council are based at Lyndhurst, Lymington, New Milton, Hythe, Ringwood, Fordingbridge, Fawley and Totton. We are committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. For the purpose of the 2018 General Data Protection Regulation, the Data Controller is New Forest District Council, Appletree Court, Beaulieu Road, Lyndhurst, Hampshire SO43 7PA (data.controller@nfdc.gov.uk ) .
When you contact one of our Information Offices we will ask you for certain personal information in order to be able to assist with your enquiry. Some of this information will need to be recorded and stored on our systems. This Privacy Notice aims to explain:
1. The different kinds of personal data we process
2. How we use your data
3. How we store your data
4. Why we process your data
5. When and why we share your information
6. What are the legal grounds for processing your information
1. What kind of personal data do we process
When you contact an Information Office we will collect certain personal information from you, for example: your name, your address, your phone numbers, your email address, your date of birth, marital status, gender, financial information, vehicle information, vehicle insurance, driving licence, passport, information on family members, medical, health or criminal records, details on vulnerabilities.
The type of information we collect will depend on the service you are requesting.
2. How we use your data
We use your information in a variety of ways:
- To process your service request, for example to scan, photo copy and verify your paperwork containing personal data for Housing, Revenues & Benefits, Licensing, Electoral Services, Planning
- To check your identity when you contact us asking for information; for example if you want to discuss personal Housing related issues with us
- To help us investigate any concerns or complaints that you may have about services that you receive from us
- To build a picture of our services in your area: for example by logging your enquiries against your address or details we can see where our services are working or where improvements are needed
3. How we store your data
The information we collect is recorded and then stored on our secure Customer Record Management (CRM) system. If we are gathering information for other services, such as Housing, Revenue & Benefits and Licensing, then we will gather the data and forward this via our internal mail system or scan the information for this to be entered directly onto their secure systems.
The information on our CRM system is retained for 6.5 years before being deleted.
4. Why we process your data
We need to process your data in order to provide you with the services that you are requesting, or to provide services that we have a legal responsibility to provide or are in the public interest. Examples of these might include:
- Clearing litter or fly tipping from public land
- Arrange collection of garden or glass refuse that has not been collected on a scheduled round
- Arranging the delivery of black and clear sacks that have been missed on a scheduled delivery
5. When and why we share your information
Sometimes, in order to process your enquiry we need to share the information that you give us; either with other departments within New Forest District Council (for example Pest Control, Coastal Services), or with other external 'partner' organisations (for example Local Town & Parish Councils, Hampshire County Council). Some examples of how and why we share your data are:
- If you are reporting a problem with grass cutting, and it is your Town or Parish Council that is responsible, then we may need to share your details with them; particularly if you have asked for an update. We will ask your permission before doing this, as without sharing information we may not be able to provide the services you require.
- We will often have to share the information you have given us with other teams or services within New Forest District Council; but this will be for the express purpose of processing your enquiry. For example if you contact an Information Office to report a problem with parking in your area, then when we pass this to our Parking team they may wish to get in touch with you for more information.
Below is a list of the most common teams or departments that we share information with; this is not an exclusive list, and information may need to be shared with other teams or services within NFDC (that are not listed below) in order to process your enquiry.
Shared with | What and why |
Revenues & Benefits | We will need to pass on your contact details and other personal data to Revenues & Benefits so they can make contact with you for more information or to process your claim for Housing or Council Tax Benefit |
Environmental Health | Information that we collect from you, when you contact us with an Environmental Health or Protection related issue may be used by our Environmental Health team to make contact with you concerning a related issue |
Garden Waste | Information that we collect from you (or that is gathered from you online) when you join our Garden Waste service can be accessed and used by our teams at Marsh Lane Depot. This information is used to organise their collection rounds and ensure the service is delivered smoothly. It may also be used to remind you of when the service is ending and how to renew your service if you wish to. |
Licensing | We will need to pass on your contact details and other personal data to Licensing so that they can make contact with you for more information or to process your application for a Taxi Licence or renewal, or Driver Awareness Testing, Street Collections, Liquor Licences |
Housing - Tenancy Management | Contact details that we take from you and store in our Housing IT systems can be accessed and may be used by members of our Estate Management team, if they need to contact you about managing your tenancy or other estate related issues. |
Housing - Applications, Allocations and Homelessness | We will need to pass on your contact details and other personal data to our Housing Needs so they can make contact with you for more information and to process your application for housing or emergency accommodation |
Housing - Rent & Arrears | Contact details that we take from you and store in our Housing IT system can be accessed and may be used by staff in our Rent & Arrears team if they need to make contact with you for any rent queries. |
Visitor Register | We will record you name, time of arrival and departure, and the reason for your visit when attending meetings, appointments or interviews and this will be shared with the person you are visiting or the meeting organiser. |
Special Collections | Information that we collect from you when you book a Special Collection with us is shared with our collection crew, as they may need to make contact with you when out on visits with a query about your collection |
Streetscene | Information that we collect from you when you report issues such as fly tipping, abandoned vehicles, street cleaning etc., can be accessed by staff at our Marsh Lane Depot; as they may need to contact you for further information or to give you an update on your query |
Tree team | Information that we collect from you when you report an issue concerning trees, is shared with our Tree team and they may use it to contact you for more information on trees or to arrange a visit |
Waste & Recycling | Information that we collect when you report Waste & Recycling related issues to us (e.g. refuse, glass, missed bins etc.) can be accessed by staff at our Marsh Lane Depot, and may be used by Supervisors to get in touch with you in order to resolve a complaint |
6. What are the legal grounds for processing your information
a. Where it is in the public interest to do so; for example clearing litter or fly tipping from public land, removing an abandoned vehicle from public land
b. In order to comply with a legal obligation; for example when processing enquiries relating to elections, such as postal vote applications
c. Where it is in the legitimate interest of NFDC to do so; for example where there may be a risk to public health and safety
d. With your consent or explicit consent. For example when dealing with sensitive issues, such as health related or if you are a vulnerable resident
Where we rely on consent and you wish to withdraw this consent, you can do so by contacting us at the address above.
More Information
For further information, plus information on access, portability, withdrawal of consent, correction etc. please see:
Information Rights Policy (PDF, 237 KB)
We work hard to ensure that we only gather information that we need to process your enquiry and deliver the services that you are entitled to in the best way possible. However, if you have any concerns relating to this or your Privacy in general, please speak to an Information Officer at any one of our Information Offices https://www.newforest.gov.uk/article/1162/Contact-us or email our Data Protection Officer at data.protection@nfdc.gov.uk .
For more information on Data Protection in general, or if you wish to make a complaint relating to how your personal data has been used, please contact the Information Commissioner Office:
Website: https://ico.org.uk/
Phone helpline: 0303 123 1113