Privacy Notice - Complaints and Compliments

Please read the following Privacy Notice carefully.

The purpose of this Privacy Notice is to explain how and for what purposes we process your personal data. It applies to personal data that is processed electronically and on paper. 

Why we are collecting your data

Basildon Borough Council needs sufficient details and information to allow those responsible and those who can help to deal with your Complaint (whether this is at Stage 1 Stage 2 or Stage 3). We need to allocate your complaint and sufficient information to allow the responsible officer to look into the matters you have raised and provide you with a response in accordance with our Complaints Policy as well as the service(s) you require.  If you have made a comment or a compliment this is so that we can pass this on and use your valuable feedback.

Information collected

• Name and Contact Details

• Address

• Family Details

• Signature

• Images if you send any as part of your Complaint or Comment

• Bank Details - only if relevant to your complaint or comment

• Health and genetic records only if relevant and given in relation to your complaint or comment

• Current circumstances - only those needed to consider your complaint.

The data is collected through:

• Emails

• Post

• Application forms

• Website

• Phone

• Third Parties

The basis for the processing

• Public task: the processing is necessary for the Council to perform a task in the public interest or for our official functions, and the task or function has a clear basis in law via the local government act 1974.

• Archiving Purposes: to ensure that we can review our Complaints, Comments and Compliments for statistical purposes to improve our services for our customers

Who your information will be shared with

• Any Council Service or partner to which your Complaint or Comment or Compliment relates or are needed to find the answers in investigating your complaint or comment.

• Other bodies include: Police, Social Services, other government bodies if required by them. As required due to the nature of information received (for example safeguarding but not limited to)

• We have arrangements with a range of IT providers who support the Council's IT systems and services, therefore your data may be accessed by these suppliers. Where we have these arrangements there is always a contractual agreement with them to ensure they comply with the Data Protection Law.

We will never sell your data, however it will be shared with third parties to:

• Comply with legal obligations and legislative requirements

• Help business partners, suppliers and sub-contractors to deliver any contract we enter with them or you

• To help if there is need of any professional or legal advice on a matter relating to you

• To help prevent fraud and/or tackle crime

• To improve and optimise the performance of our services

Provide accurate information

We need to hold accurate and up to date information about you so that we can deliver appropriate services. If any of your details change, you need to tell us as soon as possible so that we can update your records.

We will not:

• Use your information for marketing or sales purposes without your prior explicit consent.

• Send or store your data abroad unless it meets the requirements of the Data Protection regulations

• Make decisions about you based on automated processing.

How long will we hold your data for?

We will keep all records relating to (add service/department) for 3 years.

Your rights

You have the right to access the personal information we hold about you.  Any access requests are free of charge.
If the information we hold about you is inaccurate, you have a right to have this corrected and you have the right to request completion of incomplete data.
You have the right to ask us to erase your personal data in certain circumstances ('right to be forgotten').

You have the right to ask us to stop or restrict the processing of your personal data, in certain circumstances.  Where possible, we will seek to comply with your request, but we may need to hold or process information to comply with a legal requirement.

You can make any of these requests by:

• Email: Data Protection Officer (opens new window)

• Phone: 01268 533333

• Letter to:

If you are dissatisfied with how we have used your personal information, you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office, by:

• Email: casework@ico.org.uk (opens new window)

• Phone: 0303 123 1113 (local rate) or 01625 545 745

• Letter to:

Further independent advice about data protection, privacy and data sharing issues is available from the Information Commissioner's Office, see:

• Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) (opens new window).