Privacy policy

Sharing data, both internally and externally with partner organisations, is important to ensure you receive the best service and we fulfil our legal duties.

However, unless a specific exemption applies, we will advise you who your information will be shared with, either directly or in the relevant Privacy Notice which you will be referred to when your information is collected. Where we share sensitive personal data, such as health information, we might need your permission and whenever possible we will request this when your information is first obtained.

When we identify a need for systematic sharing with another organisation we will enter into a data sharing agreement to ensure both parties understand the purpose of sharing and maintain high standards with respect to protecting your data.

The police and other agencies may request personal information as part of an investigation, to prevent crime, or prosecute offenders. We will consider these requests under an exception to non-disclosure. Similarly, we may approach other organisations to share personal information to prevent crime or for safeguarding purposes, for instance to stop a vulnerable person being abused.

For matching purposes, we may share your personal data with other bodies responsible for auditing or administering public funds, or where undertaking a public function, to prevent and detect fraud. Data matching compares computer records held by one body against those held by the same or another body. Computerised data matching allows potentially fraudulent claims and payments to be identified as a match may indicate an inconsistency that requires further investigation. No assumption can be made as to whether there is fraud, error, or other explanation until an investigation is carried out. The Council participates in the statutory National Fraud Initiative; a data-matching exercise with other public bodies run by the Cabinet Office for the purposes of preventing and detecting fraud.

 We may also share your personal data with commissioned partners or other organisations responsible for auditing or regulating our public and statutory tasks.

Information collected for public registers, such as planning or licensing applications, must be published or made available on request.

We may receive FOI and EIR requests which include information relating to individuals. As part of our process we will consider whether disclosure to the public would contravene data protection law. 

Please see the relevant Departmental Privacy Notice for all potential sharing which may occur.