Colton Parish Council

      DATA PROTECTION POLICY

This policy was formally adopted by Colton Parish Council (the Council) January 2005 and applies to all employees, members and those acting on the Council's behalf.

Scope

An essential activity within the Council is the requirement to gather and process information about its staff and people in the community in order to op­erate effectively.

This will be done in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998 (the Act) and other related government legislation.

The council - acting as custodians of personal data - recognises its moral duty to ensure that all such data is handled properly and confidentially at all times, irrespective of whether it is held on paper or by electronic means. This covers the whole lifecycle, including

•       The obtaining of personal data;

•       The storage and security of personal data;

•       The use of personal data;

•       The disposal / destruction of personal data.

The council has also a responsibility to ensure that data subjects have appropriate access - upon written requests - to details regarding personal information relating to them.

Actions

By following and maintaining strict safeguards and controls, the Council will:

A1   Acknowledge the rights of individuals to whom personal data relates, and ensure that those rights may be exercised in accordance with the Act;

A2  Ensure that both the collection and use of personal data is done fairly and lawfully;

A3   Ensure that personal data will only be obtained and processed for the pur­poses specified (in pursuit of the Council's aims and objectives;

A4  Collect and process personal data on a "need to know" basis, ensuring that such data is fit for purpose, is not excessive, and is disposed of at a time appropriate to its purpose;

A5   Ensure that adequate steps are taken to ensure the accuracy and cur­rency of data;

A6  Ensure that for all personal data, appropriate security measures are taken - both technically and organisationally - to protect against damage or abuse;

A7   Ensure that the movement of personal data is done in a lawful way -both inside and outside the Council and that suitable safeguards exist at all times