Privacy Policy
Dartford Borough Council ("the Council") is committed to preserving the privacy of all visitors to the www.dartford.gov.uk website ("the Website"). This policy is provided to inform you how we collect, use and protect the information that you provide to us.Privacy Statement
The Council will ensure that any information it receives will be processed in accordance with the principles contained in the Data Protection Act 1998 and the policy detailed below. This policy only covers the Website and does not cover any third party websites to which links are provided.
Information that the Council collects from you
The Website contains competitions entry forms, feedback forms and questionnaires, which you can complete and return if you wish.
The forms may ask for your name and contact details (eg address, telephone number, email address etc). If you choose to complete a questionnaire then you may be asked to provide information on a variety of topics and it is at your discretion, if you choose to do so.
Sometimes you choose to be informed by the Council of its activities in certain areas. These information would be used in our emarketing campaigns and it won't be passed to any third party.
You may make an information request and in order to receive a response to your question, you may disclose personal information to the Council.
Use of your Information
The Council may use your information to contact you regarding a request for information or to follow up any feedback forms or questionnaires you may have completed and returned.
Your personal information will assist the Council in understanding your needs and interests and the information may be analysed in order to improve and develop the Website and the services provided by the Council as a whole.
If the Council wishes to use your personal information for a purpose other than the one for which you provided the information, it will ask for your consent first.
The Council will not disclose your information to other organisations or bodies unless required to do so by law. Your information will not be sold, rented or leased without your prior written consent.
In the event that the Council transfers management of the Website to a third party, you agree that your information can be transferred to that third party. The Council will ensure that any third party taking over management of the Website will observe the obligations under the Data Protection Act 1998 and this Privacy Policy.
The Council will only retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfil the purpose(s) for which it was collected. Once this purpose has been fulfilled, your personal data will be destroyed and disposed of in accordance in a secure manner.
In the event that you no longer consent to the Council processing your personal data, please notify the Council in writing.
Security
Any information that you send to the Website using the questionnaires, forms or via email will not be sent using a secure transmission method. It is important that you are aware that any information which is sent via the internet can be intercepted or lost and may be read by others.
The Council has put into place the appropriate technological procedures and practices to protect the information which is collected using the Website.
The Council has ensured that any members of staff or agents processing personal information on behalf of the Council are aware of their obligations under the Data Protection Act 1998 and this Privacy Policy.
Offensive Material and Crime Prevention
In accordance with the Terms and Conditions of the Website, you are not permitted to post or send any offensive or inappropriate material or information to the Website. In the event that you breach this term, the Council may use your personal information to take action against you to prevent further breaches of this term.
The Council has systems in place to protect itself, the community and users of its Website against fraud and other crimes. The Council may use your personal information to detect and prevent crime and may disclose your information to the police and fraud prevention agencies, where it suspects that you have or are going to commit a crime.
Users under 16
If you are aged under 16, you must get permission from your parents before providing the Council with any personal information. The Council may check that you have obtained consent and will not accept your personal information if you have not done so.
The Website is not aimed at children, however, if in the future the Council does decide to develop areas within the Website for children, it will put into place a special privacy policy aimed at children.
Access to your personal information
You have the right to request a copy of the personal information which the Council holds about you and you also have the right to request that the information is rectified if it is inaccurate.
All organisations have a duty under the Data Protection Act 1998 to provide individuals with access to information about themselves.
Who is entitled to personal information?
In general, personal information will only be given to an individual, and then only with appropriate identification. In addition, requests for information about a person other than yourself will be rejected except for the following common situations:
- Parents may request information about a child under 16, but there is no automatic right to the data;
- A solicitor may request information on behalf of a client.
What you will get
- Copies of documents you are allowed to see under the Act (some documents will be provided by 3rd parties or contain information about 3rd parties and in general you will not be able to see those);
- A catalogue of the documents you can see;
- A description of common disclosures;
- An explanation of any codes used in the documents.
What is the process?
- Complete the Application Form (in .pdf format for you to print out);Send it to the Data Protection Officer (DPO), with a cheque, identification, etc, as requested on the form;
The DPO checks the validity of the request, agrees the scope of the search and sets the 40 day time period when satisfied;
- You are sent the results of the review, or in the case of an exceptional number of documents, you may be asked to attend the office to view the documents.
If you are unhappy with the outcome of the review, you can request an assessment of your case by the Office of the Information Commissioner.
The Council reserves the right to refuse to comply with your request for disclosure of information, but will only do so when it is permitted under the Data Protection Act 1998 and will give you the reasons for refusal.
