The Data Protection Act 2018 gives you right of access to personal information held by public authorities.
Individuals may request access to personal information held by Bassetlaw District Council if they are the subject of that information. You may ask someone else to obtain the information on your behalf, but you must provide written consent.
How Do I Make A Request For Personal Information?
Requests must be made in writing and signed by the person the information it is about. You may ask someone else to obtain the information on your behalf, but you must provide written consent. Please also ensure you provide something that confirms your current address, e.g. such as a recent bill or bank statement, and your identity, e.g. a passport or birth certificate. Also, we need any other details you think may help us locate the information you want.
Please try to avoid sending us originals but instead send us certified (stamped and signed) copies of documents. You can get documents certified by professionals such as GPs or teachers, or alternatively at post office counters.
Your request must:
- Include the name of the person requesting the information
- Include an address for correspondence (a phone number or email address is also useful if we need to clarify your request)
- A description of the information required
Our Subject Access Request forms
- Subject access request online form (including third party requests)
- Subject access request PDF form (including third party requests)
Once completed you can return the form by email or post.
- Email: dpo@bassetlaw.gov.uk
- By post: Data Protection Officer, Bassetlaw District Council, Queen’s Buildings, Potter Street, Worksop, S80 2AH
What Happens Next?
We will acknowledge your request usually within 5 working days.
We have 30 calendar days from the day after we receive the request to provide the information. Under certain circumstances the time limit to respond to your request can be extended, for example if we hold a large amount of information about you. If we need to ask for fees and/or any further information we will contact you.
Can You Refuse My Request?
There are a number of reasons for refusing to provide information, including:
- We do not hold the information
- If an exemption applies (see below)
If any of these apply we will write to you explaining why we cannot provide the information, along with instructions on how to appeal against this decision.
Exemptions
Bassetlaw District Council aims to be as open and transparent as possible, but there are some circumstances where we will exempt information from disclosure. This can only be done where there is clear legal grounds for doing so and our response will indicate that we have exempted information and the legal basis of that decision. Our decisions are open to challenge and can be reviewed by the Information Commissioner's Office.
A full list of exemptions can be found on the Information Commissioner's website.
What Happens if I'm Not Happy?
If you are unhappy with the response to your request, you believe that an exemption has been incorrectly applied or that you have not received all of the information you are entitled to you can request an internal review of the original response.
The Data Protection Officer will review your case to ensure that the officers dealing with the original request have done so in line with the requirements of the legislation.
Details of how to appeal will be provided with any response to your request. To request an internal review, you should write in the first instance to the Data Protection Officer, Bassetlaw District Council, Potter Street, Worksop, S80 2AH stating the reasons for your dissatisfaction.
Alternatively, please contact us by email or telephone at:
Email: dpo@bassetlaw.gov.uk
Telephone: 01909 533 533
You may also contact the Information Commissioner's Office by telephone on 0303 123 1113 or via email mail@ico.gsi.gov.uk.
More Information
You can find further information about the Data Protection Act from the following government websites:
Last Updated on Monday, December 9, 2024