Subject Access Requests

Under the Data Protection Act 2018 you have a right to apply for a copy of the personal information we hold about you.

We usually have to provide the information within one month, but this period can be extended if your request is very complicated.

The information will usually be provided for free, but we can charge you a reasonable fee (or refuse to provide the information) if your request is manifestly unfounded or excessive (for example if you make repeated requests for the same information).

How do I request the information ?

Your request must be in writing and accompanied by proof of your identity. By law we are not able to respond to verbal requests.

You can make the request on our request form if you wish. You can post or hand-deliver this to us at:

Data Protection Officer
Scaitcliffe House
Ormerod Street
Accrington
BB5 0PF

Or you can email it to us at:         DPO@hyndburnbc.gov.uk

We will need to be satisfied that you are who you say you are before we can deal with your request, so we will need to you to provide us with evidence of your identity. You can do this by:

  • Bringing your evidence in person to Scaitcliffe House for us to inspect – you will need to make an appointment to see the Data Protection Officer or one of her staff (telephone 01254 388111) ; or
  • Scanning and uploading your evidence documents and then emailing these to DPO@hyndburnbc.gov.uk together with your request; or
  • Sending us photocopies of your evidence documents (please do not send original documents in the post).

What identification evidence do you need ?

To protect your privacy we need to be satisfied that we do not send your personal information to somebody pretending to be you. We need to carry out checks to ensure that we send your information to the right person.

We will need information that confirms your name and address (and ideally we would like to see something with your name and photograph (such as a passport or driving licence). We will also consider the following, for example: birth certificate, driving licence, passport, recent utility bills, recent bank letters, marriage certificate, recent credit card / bank / mortgage statement, HM Forces ID card, recent council tax statement or benefit statement. For this purpose “recent” means dated within the last 12 months.

Sometimes we may require more than one piece of evidence to be satisfied about your identity.

Please note:

If you are requesting CCTV footage we will also need a recent photograph of you

What can’t we tell you ?

By law there is some information that we do not need to supply to you. For example, we will not release your personal information:

  • If it relates to legal advice we have been given; or
  • If it could prejudice the prevention or detection of crime
  • If it would also involve identifying another person or sending you information about another person without their permission – if possible we will “redact” the information to block out information about other people

What do I have a right to ?

You have a right to:

  • Be told what information we hold about you
  • Be told what we use the information for
  • Receive a copy of the information
  • Be told what other organisations or people might see the information

What happens next ?

We may contact you to ask for further evidence of identity or to help us identify what information you require.

If we will not be able to reply to you within one month we will explain why and we will give you an indication of when we expect to be able to reply.

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