Privacy notice: Councillors

The London Borough of Hounslow is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy.

Through this Privacy Notice we have sought to be as transparent as possible and fully explain how your personal data is held and processed.

As part of their official responsibilities, elected Councillors handle personal information. This Privacy Notice explains how Councillors manage and protect this data in accordance with data protection laws.

Councillors typically fulfil three distinct roles:

  • As members of the Council – for example, serving on the Cabinet or participating in Council committees.
  • As political party representatives – particularly active during election periods or when engaging in party-related activities
  • As ward representatives – supporting and advocating for residents, including handling complaints and enquiries.

As Members of the Council

Any personal data processed by Councillors in the course of their work on Council Committees is covered by the Council’s privacy notice.

Councillors must handle all personal data in line with the Council’s ‘Using Information and Technology’ Policy Framework, which outlines the appropriate methods for managing, sharing, and securing personal information.

As political party representatives 

Any personal data processed by Councillors for party political or campaigning purposes is governed by their respective party’s privacy notice.

As Ward Representatives

As elected representatives, Councillors act as Data Controllers when processing personal information in their role as ward representatives. They are individually accountable for ensuring that such data is handled in compliance with data protection legislation, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA 2018), and the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025. 

Contact details for each Councillor can be found on the Council's website, on the 'Your Councillors' page.

This privacy notice explains how Councillors, in their capacity as elected members of the Council, process personal information when responding to requests from constituents, such as enquiries or complaints, relating to Council matters. It also outlines individuals’ privacy rights under data protection law.

Why Councillors collect and handle your information

  • Councillors process the personal data needed to respond to your request or to carry out their work.
  • Councillors may also process criminal offence data if it is necessary for them to assist you with your query.

Councillors may process personal data in the course of their duties for the following purposes:

  • Responding to requests, concerns, or complaints from residents and carrying out casework.
  • Representing the interests of the local community and engaging with community organisations.
  • Organising and participating in community initiatives and events.
  • Supporting crime prevention efforts in the local area.
  • Managing and contributing to Community Committee business.
  • Acting as a consultee on matters affecting their ward.
  • Informing residents about local projects, developments, and issues that may impact them.

What type of information Councillors collect and process  

Most of the personal information Councillors process is provided to them directly by you.

Councillors currently collect and process personal information about:

  • Constituents
  • Elected representatives and others in public office
  • Council employees
  • Complainants and enquirers
  • Relatives, guardians and associates of the person whose personal information they are processing
  • Landlords and social landlords
  • Business or other contacts
  • The subject of complaints

Depending on the case, this will involve the following personal data:

  • name
  • address
  • contact telephone number
  • email address
  • Date of birth
  • your national insurance number
  • reference number(s)
  • signature
  • information about the issue you are raising, which may include medical or social care information
  • details of family members
  • family, lifestyle and social circumstances
  • financial details
  • education and employment details
  • housing information
  • details of complaints

Councillors may also process special category data and/or personal data about criminal convictions or offences. This includes:

  • racial or ethnic origin
  • sexuality and sexual life
  • religious or philosophical beliefs
  • trade union membership
  • political opinions
  • genetic and biometric data
  • physical or mental health
  • criminal convictions and offences

Councillors only process the personal data that is necessary to respond to your request.  

If it is not disproportionate or prejudicial, we’ll contact you to let you know we are processing your personal information. ​

Their Lawful basis for processing your information

Councillors process the personal data necessary to respond to your request or to carry out the activities outlined in this privacy notice.

For processing personal data, Councillors rely on the following lawful bases:

  • UK GDPR Article 6(1)(e) – where processing is necessary for me to perform a task which is in the public interest, or for my official functions as an elected representative, where that task has a clear basis in law (public task).
  • UK GDPR Article 6(1)(f) – where processing is necessary to meet Councillors’ legitimate interests which are not part of their public function. This is where it is necessary in pursuit of Councillors’ legitimate interests as an elected representative and those of their constituents and it is assessed these interests override any privacy intrusion involved in processing personal data about other individuals.
  • UK GDPR Article 6(1)(a) – where you have provided consent for me to process your information for a specific purpose.

Withdrawing Consent

When you provide consent for a Councillor to process your personal data, that consent serves as their lawful basis for processing. You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time, and the Councillor will delete the personal information they hold about you. If deletion is not possible due to other legal grounds for processing, the Councillor will inform you of this. Please note that if you withdraw your consent, the Councillor may no longer retain a record of the assistance previously provided to you.

When Councillors process special category data, they rely on:

  • UK GDPR Article 9(2)(a) – where you have provided them with explicit consent to process your information for a specific purpose
  • UK GDPR Article 9(2)(g) – where processing is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest, specifically:
    • for statutory and government purposes (Schedule 1, Part 2, section 6, DPA 2018)
    • for the safeguarding of children and of individuals at risk (Schedule 1, Part 2, section 18, DPA 2018)
  • where processing is necessary for an elected representative to respond to a request (Schedule 1, Part 2, section 23, DPA 2018).

Councillors may also process criminal offence data if it is necessary for them to assist you with your query. This may include:

  • information about any criminal record or criminal history.
  • allegations of criminal behaviour, including unproven allegations.
  • absences of convictions, for example the results of DBS checks, or Police National Computer checks.
  • personal data of victims and/or witnesses.
  • personal data about criminal penalties that may have been awarded.

Councillors process criminal offence data under the following condition(s) of Schedule 1 of the DPA 2018:

  • where processing is necessary to carry out specific statutory and government purposes (Schedule 1, Part 2, section 6, DPA 2018)
  • where processing is necessary for the safeguarding of children and individuals at risk (Schedule 1, Part 1, section 18, DPA 2018)
  • where processing is necessary for an elected representative to respond to a request (Schedule 1, Part 2, section 23, DPA 2018).

Who your information may be shared with

Councillors may need to share your personal information with relevant individuals or organisations. For instance, they often have to pass on your contact details and the nature of your enquiry or complaint to Council officers so the matter can be properly investigated and addressed.

Your personal information will only be shared on a strict ‘need to know’ basis with relevant organisations or individuals who can assist in addressing or resolving your concern.

The specific third party involved will depend on the nature of the issue you’ve raised, and may vary from case to case.

In some cases, constituents raise concerns involving external organisations. When this occurs, Councillors may need to refer your enquiry or complaint to the relevant body or organisation to ensure it is properly addressed.

As an example, Councillors may share your information with:

  • the Council
  • government agencies like the DWP
  • other local authorities
  • schools and other educational bodies
  • charities
  • health trusts
  • regulators like the ICO
  • landlords and housing providers
  • the police
  • other Councillors or elected officials, like MPs

The above list is not exhaustive. It is not unusual for constituents to raise issues with Councillors about other bodies and therefore if that happens, Councillors will need to refer the question/complaint to them. 

There will be times when Councillors are under a legal duty to share information. This includes, but is not limited to:

  • Disclosure under a court order
  • Sharing with the Ministry of Justice for inspection purposes
  • Sharing with the police for the prevention or detection of crime
  • Where there is an overriding public interest to prevent abuse or serious harm to others
  • Disclosure to a Regulator if we identify a situation of potential misconduct or if the information is requested

If you specifically request that Councillors do not share information that identifies you with third parties they need to contact, they will make every effort to respect that request. However, please be aware that in some cases, it may not be possible to progress your enquiry or resolve the issue without disclosing your identity.

Councillors are committed to protecting your personal data and will take all reasonable steps to keep it secure. They will ensure they have appropriate safeguards and procedures in place to prevent any loss, misuse, or damage of your data.

How long Councillors keep your information

Unless specifically requested by you, personal data held for the purposes of responding to requests received from constituents and obtained in the course of their enquiries will only be kept for as long as the law specifies or, where the law does not specify this, for a suitable length of time after the case/enquiry is closed (normally 6 years).

They will dispose of your information in the most secure manner possible.

Transfers to third countries and how your information is kept secure

All the information you provide is held within the UK & European Economic Area.

Councillors follow appropriate security measures to protect personal data related to ward casework from accidental loss, alteration, unauthorised access, misuse, or theft. These measures include both physical and technological safeguards, secure information storage, and adherence to proper records retention practices.

Any work carried out on behalf of the Council is conducted in line with the Council’s Using Information and Technology Policy Framework.

Your data protection rights

The rights available to you depend on our reason for processing your information. For further information about your data protection rights and how to make a request, please see the Council's ‘Your rights’ page.

If you would like to know more about your rights under the Data Protection law, and what you should expect, visit the Information Commissioner’s website.

Does processing by Councillors involve automated decision making about constituents or profiling?

None of the processing of personal information controlled by Councillors involves automated decision making or profiling. 

Your right to make a complaint

Councillors are the data controllers under this Privacy Notice. If you have any queries or concerns about your data, you can contact them using the contact details provided on the Council's website, on the 'Your Councillors' page.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office about how Councillors process your personal data. The Information Commissioner is the UK's independent body set up to uphold information rights.

You can contact them using the details below:

Information Commissioner’s Office

Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Telephone: 0303 123 1113 or 01625 545 745

Website: https://ico.org.uk/  

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