Communications and engagement privacy notice

Published: 16 May 2025

Our contact details

Name: Data Protection Officer

Address: Time Square, Market Street, Bracknell, RG12 1JD

Phone Number: 01344 352000

Email: dpo@bracknell-forest.gov.uk

Bracknell Forest Council is registered as a controller with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

You can find us on the ICO website - our registration number is Z4971654.

The type of personal information we collect

We currently collect and process the following information:

Communications and Marketing:

  • name
  • contact details
  • age or date of birth
  • gender
  • email address
  • address
  • visual images

Community Engagement:

  • name
  • contact details
  • age or date of birth
  • gender
  • images and video recording
  • voice recording
  • address

We also collect the following special category information:

Community Engagement (including online surveys):

  • racial or ethnic origin
  • religion or belief
  • sexual orientation
  • data concerning health

How we get the personal information and why we have it

Communications and Marketing

The personal information we process is provided to us for one or more of the following reasons:

  • for photograph or videography consent
  • for subscriptions to communications and marketing content such as newsletters
  • investigate and respond to media enquiries
  • to distribute communications and marketing such as through newsletters
  • create visual assets
  • readership surveys and competitions

Community Engagement

The personal information we process is provided to us for one or more of the following reasons:

  • to allow us to engage with and support the operation of community centres and voluntary, community and faith organisations or groups
  • for prize draws as part of engagement surveys
  • to contribute to resident engagement surveys
  • provide corporate support to internal services and partners with community engagement and equality, diversity and inclusion
  • to allow us to undertake co-production activities with residents

We receive information directly, or indirectly, from the following sources:

  • online forms
  • telephone
  • email
  • in person
  • social media

Communications and Marketing:

  • internal council departments
  • schools
  • journalists or media partners

Community Engagement:

  • directly from data subjects
  • health colleagues

How the law allows us to use your personal information

Lawful basis for processing

Under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the lawful basis we rely on for processing personal data is Article 6 UK GDPR:

  • (a) your consent
  • (c) we have a legal obligation
  • (e) we need it to perform a public task

Special category data

Under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the lawful basis we rely on for processing special category data is Article 9 UK GDPR:

(a) Your consent

You can read the guide to lawful basis for processing special category data on the Information Commissioner's Office website.

Your consent

Where we use consent to process your personal data, we will explain to you what we are asking you to agree to and why.

If we have consent to use your personal data, you have the right to remove it at any time. If you remove your consent we are unlikely to be able to provide continued services to you.

If you want to remove your consent, please contact the relevant team who will deal with your request:

Legal obligation and public task

Our ‘legal obligation' and the public tasks we carry out as a local authority are found in:

Who we share your information with

Communications and Marketing

The Communications and Marketing team may need to share personal data with internal teams in the organisation when, for example, a media enquiry is received.

Photographs and videography may also be shared with partners (including The Lexicon), however, you will be informed that images taken may be shared.

Community Engagement

We may share this information with other internal services, and partners where data sharing agreements are in place. Our Community Engagement and Equalities team may share personal data with other council service teams, community centres and hubs, and third sector organisations.

For the Thriving Communities programme, data will be shared with health partners, external evaluators and third sector organisations.

How we store your personal information

Your information is securely stored on our systems.

Data will not be kept for longer than is necessary and is kept in line with the our retention and disposal schedule. We will dispose your information by securely destroying any data we hold.

Your data protection rights

Under data protection law, you have rights we need to make you aware of. The rights available to you depend on our reason for processing your information.

Your right of access

You have the right to ask us for copies of your personal information. This right always applies. There are some exemptions, which means you may not always receive all the information we process.

Find out more about your right of access from the ICO.

Your right to get your data corrected

You have the right to ask us to correct information you think is inaccurate. You also have the right to ask us to complete information you think is incomplete. This right always applies.

Find out more about your right to get your data corrected from the ICO.

Your right to get your data deleted

You have the right to ask us to delete your personal information in certain circumstances.

Find out more about your right to get your data deleted from the ICO.

Your right to limit how organisations use your data

You have the right to ask us to limit the processing of your information in certain circumstances.

Find out more about your right to limit how organisations use your data from the ICO.

Your right to object to the use of your data

You have the right to object to processing if we are able to process your information because the process forms part of our public tasks.

Find out more about your right to object to the use of your data from the ICO.

Your right to data portability

This only applies to information you have given us. You have the right to ask that we transfer the information you gave us from one organisation to another, or give it to you.

The right only applies if we are processing information based on your consent or for the performance of a contract, and the processing is automated.

Find out more about your right to data portability from the ICO.

Making a request

You are not required to pay any charge for exercising your rights. If you make a request, we have 28 days to respond to you.

To make a request, contact:

As a public authority and a provider of services to the public, we have a legal duty to comply with the Equality Act 2010.

This means we need to make service adjustments for anyone with a disability who contacts us in any capacity, to eliminate any barriers to accessing our services.

Our lawful basis for processing this information is article 6(1)(c) of the GDPR as we have a legal obligation to provide this. Our processing of special category data, such as health information you give us, will be based on article 9(2)(a), which means we need your consent.

We will create a record of your adjustment requirements. These will give your name, contact details and type of adjustment required, along with a brief description of why it is required. Relevant staff can access this to make sure they are communicating with you in the required way.

Please contact equality@bracknell-forest.gov.uk should you require service adjustments.

How to complain

If you have any concerns about our use of your personal information, you can make a complaint to us at dpo@bracknell-forest.gov.uk.

You can also complain to the ICO if you are unhappy with how we have used your data by:

  • visiting the ICO website
  • phoning the ICO helpline on 0303 123 1113
  • writing to:
    • Information Commissioner’s Office
      Wycliffe House
      Water Lane
      Wilmslow
      Cheshire
      SK9 5AF