Privacy notices Democratic and registration services privacy notice

Published: 21 March 2024

Contents

The type of personal information we collect

We currently collect and process the following information:

  • name
  • address
  • date of birth
  • email address
  • telephone number

Other types of personal information may be collected during specific tasks. These are listed below.

Appeals - including school admissions and exclusions

Other personal information collected includes gender.

Maintaining the register of electors and carrying out the annual canvas

Other personal information collected includes National Insurance number.

Registration of births, stillbirths, deaths and marriages

Other personal information collected includes:

  • gender
  • sexual orientation
  • marital status - including divorce or dissolution details
  • financial details
  • information about family (such as, name, address, occupation and date of birth)
  • receipts for payments made for services provided
  • photograph
  • unique identification numbers (such as NHS number, National Insurance number and passport number)
  • nationality
  • witness names (for ceremonies)

For notice of marriage appointments we also collect:

  • driving licence number
  • occupation
  • immigration status

British citizenship ceremonies and non-statutory ceremonies

Other personal information collected includes:

  • gender
  • nationality
  • receipts for payments made for services provided
  • marital status
  • financial details

Councillor allowances and processing expense claims

Other personal information collected includes:

  • National Insurance number
  • financial details
  • payroll number
  • car registration

Councillor’s register of interests

Other personal information collected includes:

  • financial details
  • images

Elections and referendums

Other personal information collected includes:

  • National Insurance number
  • financial details
  • signatures

How we get the personal information and why we have it

Democratic services

Appeals

We get personal information for appeals from you or someone acting on your behalf. We use this in documentation submitted to the panel hearing your appeal.

Appeals come to us in the following ways:

Public participation

We get personal information from you when you request to use a public participation scheme. We use the information to understand why you are addressing the committee.

Participation requests come to us in the following ways:

Electoral services

We get personal information from you to verify your identity and make sure you are able to vote at an election.

You can find more information on the GOV.UK register to vote page.

We also get personal information indirectly when someone registers to vote.

When you apply to be registered to vote, the data you provide is processed by the Individual Electoral Registration Digital Service (IERDS) to verify your identity. This is managed by the Cabinet Office.

To comply with annual canvass legislation, our electoral register data is securely uploaded to IERDS each year.

The purpose of the data upload is to verify and data match our electoral registration data against records held by:

  • the Department of Work and Pensions
  • local Council Tax data

This allows us to decide if there are changes to the residents who are registered to vote at the address and contact them.

The information is managed by electoral registration officers who use the information provided to create electoral registers.

There are 2 versions of the electoral register - the full version and the 'open register'. You can opt out of the 'open register' on GOV.UK.

Information provided by the applicant will be kept and updated to allow us to carry out our statutory obligations by law.

Registration services

We get personal information from you, or someone acting on your behalf, for one of the following reasons:

  • registration services
  • birth registration
  • death registration
  • stillbirth registration
  • marriage notice and registration
  • civil partnership and registration
  • citizenship ceremonies
  • register or conduct an event
  • copy certificate or to correct information contained in a register entry
  • statistical or research purposes
  • administrative purposes by official bodies, for example making sure their records are up to date in order to provide services to the public
  • fraud prevention or detection

We also get personal information indirectly, from the following sources:

  • medical practitioners
  • midwives
  • coroners
  • the General Register Office
  • the Home Office
  • other registration districts to enable us to register or conduct an event as required by law

Overview and scrutiny

Personal information is collected during a scrutiny review.

Members of the public can let us know that they want to participate in a review by filling in the online form on our website.  

Or we may identify someone as a witness and invite them to give evidence. If we invite them to give evidence, they will give us their personal information through email.

Councillor services

Most of the personal information we process is provided to us by elected councillors.

Allowances

The council pays councillors an allowance. This is set out in the council’s constitution. Councillors provide us with their bank details so that we can pay the allowances. This data is collected when they are elected to the council or when they ask for their details to be updated.

Expenses

In certain situations, councillors are entitled to claim expenses. They do this by filling out a claim form. On the form, councillors give their name and payroll number so that we can make the payment. In some cases, councillors may provide us with their car registration number or the details of a carer.

Register of interests

Councillors provide us with their personal data when filling out their register of interests.

We collect the information:

  • when they are elected to the council
  • when they submit an update
  • during our annual check of the registers of interests

We store this data to carry out functions and duties from the Local Government Act 1972.

Councillors information

We check what information each councillor wishes to provide in terms of contact details so that their constituents may get in touch.

This information is obtained after their election. It may be updated at the request of the councillor throughout the time that they remain a councillor.

Mayoral events

We collect the personal information of those who invite the mayor to attend an event.

This information is provided by the individual using our online form. We collect this information to streamline the process.

How the law allows us to use your personal information

Lawful basis for processing

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

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

Our obligations deriving from (c) undertaking a legal obligation and (e) carrying out a public task can be found in the following Acts and Statutory Instruments:

  • The School Admission Appeals Code issued under Section 84 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998
  • Section 52(1) Education Act 2002
  • Licensing Act 2003
  • Local Government Act 1972
  • Representation of the People Act 1983
  • Representation of the People Act 1985
  • Representation of the People Act 2000
  • Representation of the People Regulations 2001
  • Elections Act 2022
  • Births and Deaths Registration Act 1938
  • Registration of Births and Deaths Regulations 1987
  • Marriage Act 1949
  • Civil Partnership Act 2002
  • Population Statistics Act 2004
  • Regulation 4 – Registration of Marriage Regulations 2015
  • Regulation 3 – Civil Partnership (Registration Provisions) Regulations 2005
  • The Local Authorities (Members' Allowances) (England) Regulations 2003
  • The Local Authorities (Overview and Scrutiny Committees) (England) Regulations 2012
  • Local Government Act 2000 S9(f)

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, email committee@bracknell-forest.gov.uk and we will deal with your request.

Who we share your information with

Democratic services

Democratic Services may share your information with the following appeal panels:

  • school admissions
  • independent exclusion review
  • licensing
  • hearings against the refusal of support for home to school transport

They may also share your information with officers providing responses to appeals.

Our public participation scheme includes a provision for you to agree that the council can give your details to anyone who wants to speak, for or against the recommendation. This is so that all objections can be covered. The first person to register gets speaking rights. Their details will be shared with others who register interest. We expect them to work together and make a joint statement.

A person making representations to a committee under a public participation scheme may have their name recorded in the public minutes of the meeting.

Electoral services

Electoral services may share your information with:

  • the British Library
  • the Electoral Commission
  • the Office of National Statistics
  • the Boundary Commission
  • government departments
  • the Jury Central Summoning Bureau
  • the Acting Returning Officer for Windsor and Maidenhead
  • the Police Area Returning Officer, Thames Valley Police Area
  • other council departments - including the Public Protection Partnership
  • parish and town councils within the area
  • registered political parties
  • candidates and campaign groups
  • MPs, borough councillors, parish councillors, town councillors and the police crime commissioner for the Thames Valley area
  • registered credit reference agencies
  • third party printing partners
  • digital polling software

Registration services

Registration Services may share your information with:

  • medical practitioners
  • midwives
  • coroners
  • the General Register Office
  • the Home Office
  • funeral directors
  • government departments - such as Tell Us Once
  • other council departments
  • other registration districts

Overview and scrutiny

Overview and scrutiny may share your information with members of the relevant overview and scrutiny panel.

Councillor services

Councillor allowances and expenses are published at the end of each financial year. Only the councillors name and the amount paid to them is shared. Other information collected to facilitate the payments remains confidential.

Councillor register of interests are also available. 

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 committee@bracknell-forest.gov.uk.

Service adjustments

If you need service adjustments, email committee@bracknell-forest.gov.uk.