Data Protection and Freedom of Information

Data Protection

Your information – our commitment

If we hold information about you, we assure you that we are processing that information fairly and lawfully. Preston City Council will adhere to the following commitments when processing personal information:
It is our policy to be open with you about your personal information.

When we collect information about you 

• We will tell you who we are and what we intend to do with the information 
• We will be fair in the way we collect information about you 
• We will only collect information that is necessary for what we do 
• Where practical, we will collect information directly from you
• If we collect information about you from someone else we will, wherever possible, make sure you know that we have done this

When we use information about you

We will only use your information for legitimate purposes about which you have been informed unless we are required to do otherwise for legal reasons.

When we disclose information about you

We will only disclose your information to third parties for legitimate purposes about which you have been informed unless we are required to do otherwise for legal reasons.

Accuracy of your information 

We will ensure that information about you is accurate and up to date when we collect or use it. You can help us to achieve this by keeping us informed of any changes to the information we hold about you.

Security of your information

We will protect your information against unauthorised use, inadvertent disclosure, damage, loss and theft.

Retention of information about you

• We will hold information about you only for as long as is necessary (subject to any statutory retention periods)
• We will ensure that the information is disposed of in a secure manner when it is no longer needed

Our policy is governed by the eight principles of data protection that are legally enforceable under the Data Protection Act 1998.

8 Principles of Data Protection

• Data must be processed fairly and lawfully
• Data must be collected and processed for only one or more specified purposes, i.e. we must not collect data for one reason and then use it for something else
• Data we hold must be adequate for its purpose or purposes but not excessive or irrelevant, i.e. we must not hold too much data or data which we do not need
• Data must be accurate and, where required, up to date
• We must not keep data for longer than necessary
• We must process data in accordance with the rights of the data subject under the Act
• Data must be kept securely and we must guard against its loss
• We must not transfer personal data to any country outside the European Economic Area unless that country has an adequate level of protection for the rights and freedoms of data subjects

Freedom of Information

In implementing the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, Preston City Council will:

• attempt to improve the delivery of services to the citizens and organisations of the City of Preston by positively considering what, when and how the information shall be provided
• be open and transparent and, in the spirit of the Act, will publish information unless there is a justified reason not to do so
• develop good practice for records management throughout the council
• put in place the appropriate procedures to monitor the production, amendment or deletion of the publications held by the council in order to reflect the public interest in them 
• generally provide information free-of-charge, however in certain circumstances charges will be incurred in accordance with the council’s policy on fees and charges
• in line with the government's e-government agenda, make most of its published information available on the council's website but will still consider the needs of the citizens and organisations that do not have access to the internet

Environmental Information Regulations

Preston City Council is committed to securing a sustainable and attractive environment by improving its own and encouraging others to improve their environmental performance and to comply with the requirements of the Environmental Information Regulations 2004. Preston City Council will endeavour to:-

• Promote biodiversity
• Reduce natural resource use
• Protect rural land and habitats
• Encourage sustainable transport
• Improve air, land and water quality
• Provide effective waste management
• Enhancing built and urban environments
• Provide effective integrated transport systems
• Encourage waste reduction, composting and recycling
• Reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions