1. Who we are
Albury Parish Council is the data controller for personal information we process in connection with our website and services. We are a local authority operating under UK law, serving approximately 850 electors across our parish.
Contact:
- Website: alburyparishcouncil.gov.uk
- Email: [email protected]
For data protection enquiries, please contact the Parish Clerk using the details above.
2. What this policy covers
This privacy policy explains how and why we use your personal data, to ensure you remain informed and in control of your information.
This policy applies to:
- Our main website (alburyparishcouncil.gov.uk)
- The Neighbourhood Plan website (alburyparishneighbourhoodplan.org)
- Document management platform (docs.alburyparishcouncil.gov.uk)
- Newsletter mailing list (lists.alburyparishcouncil.gov.uk)
- Any other services we provide to residents
3. Information we collect
Website visitors
When you visit our websites, we collect:
- Server logs: IP address, browser type, pages visited, and access times
- This information is necessary for security and to ensure our services function correctly
- We do not use tracking cookies or third-party analytics services
Newsletter subscribers
If you subscribe to our mailing list, we collect:
- Email address
- Name (if provided)
- Subscription preferences
- Email engagement data (opens, clicks) to improve our communications
Legal basis: Consent. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in each email.
Contact form submissions and correspondence
When you contact us (by email, phone, post, or through the website), we collect:
- Name
- Contact details (email address, phone number, postal address as appropriate)
- Message content
- Details of your particular interest in or connection with the Parish Council
Legal basis: Public task (responding to resident enquiries and performing our statutory duties) and your consent.
Document management platform users
If you are granted access to our document management platform (Nextcloud), we collect:
- Username and email address
- Login activity and access logs
- Files you upload or share (if you have upload permissions)
This platform is primarily used for internal council business and secure document sharing with councillors and authorized users.
Legal basis: Performance of our statutory duties and legitimate interests in secure document management.
Public documents and records
We make available public council records including:
- Meeting minutes and agendas
- Policies and procedures
- Planning documents and responses
- Financial information
- Other documents we are required to publish
Personal information contained in these public documents (such as names in meeting minutes or planning applications) is processed as part of our statutory duties as a local authority.
Information created by your involvement with the Parish Council
Your activities and involvement with Albury Parish Council may result in personal data being created, including:
- Records of your participation in consultations or campaigns
- Details of volunteering activities
- Correspondence and communications with the Council
Accidents or incidents
If an accident or incident occurs on Council property, at one of our events, or involving Council staff or members (including volunteers), we will keep a record which may include personal data.
Sensitive personal data
We do not routinely collect or store sensitive personal data (such as information relating to health, beliefs, or political affiliation) except where:
- You provide it voluntarily in the course of correspondence
- It is necessary for accident/incident reporting
- We are required to process it for legal or statutory purposes
4. How we use your information
We only use your personal data where we have a lawful basis to do so. This includes:
- Your consent (which you can withdraw at any time)
- Performing our statutory duties as a parish council
- Complying with legal obligations
- Our legitimate interests (where your rights don't override these)
Specific purposes
We use personal data to:
- Communications: Keep you informed about council news, meetings, consultations, and local matters of interest
- Service delivery: Respond to your enquiries and requests for information
- Administration: Maintain databases of residents, volunteers, councillors, and contractors
- Document management: Enable secure sharing and collaboration on council business
- Statutory obligations: Fulfil our legal duties as a local authority under Local Government legislation
- Security and service improvement: Maintain website security and improve our services
- Respect your preferences: Keep records of your communication preferences (e.g. if you've asked not to receive certain types of communication)
5. Sharing your information
We will never sell your personal data.
We may share personal information:
- With service providers: Companies that provide us with services (such as website hosting, email services, document management platform hosting). These are subject to contracts requiring them to keep your information confidential and secure
- With partner organisations: When necessary for joint activities (such as co-organised events)
- With other public authorities: Where necessary for our statutory functions or legal obligations
- When required by law: To comply with legal obligations or to protect vital interests
We only share information when necessary and ensure appropriate safeguards are in place.
6. How we protect your data
We take the security of your personal information seriously and employ various physical and technical measures:
- Encrypted connections (HTTPS/TLS) on all online services
- Encrypted backup systems
- Regular security updates and monitoring
- Access controls limiting who can view personal data
- Multi-factor authentication options for document management platform
- Secure computer systems and controlled physical access to data
- Data protection training for relevant personnel
- Detailed data protection procedures
7. Data storage and retention
Where we store information
Our primary systems and data are hosted on UK-based servers. Encrypted backups are stored within the European Economic Area (France), which benefits from UK data protection adequacy decisions ensuring equivalent protection standards.
We do not transfer personal data outside the UK or EEA except where service providers have appropriate safeguards in place.
How long we store information
We retain information only for as long as necessary for the purposes it was collected. Retention periods include:
| Type of information | Retention period |
|---|---|
| Newsletter subscriptions | Until you unsubscribe, then deleted within 30 days |
| General correspondence | 3 years, or longer if related to ongoing council business |
| Server logs | 90 days |
| Public records and meeting minutes | Retained permanently as part of the council's archive |
| Document management platform access logs | 12 months |
| Financial records | As required by local government regulations (typically 6+ years) |
| Planning and consultation responses | As required by statute |
We continually review the information we hold and delete what is no longer required.
8. Your rights
Under UK data protection law (UK GDPR), you have the following rights:
- Access: Request confirmation of whether we hold your personal data and obtain a copy (subject access request)
- Rectification: Have inaccurate information corrected
- Erasure: Request deletion of your information (where legally permissible)
- Restrict processing: Limit how we use your data in certain circumstances
- Object: Object to processing based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing
- Data portability: Receive your data in a portable format (where technically feasible and applicable)
- Withdraw consent: Where processing is based on consent, withdraw it at any time
To exercise any of these rights, please contact the Parish Clerk. Please note that there are exceptions to these rights, and we may be unable to comply with your request in certain circumstances (for example, where we have a legal obligation to retain information).
9. Cookies
Our websites use only essential cookies required for the site to function properly. We do not use advertising, tracking, or analytics cookies.
For full details about how we use cookies, please see our Cookie Policy.
10. Changes to this policy
We may update this privacy policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. The current version will always be available on our website, and significant changes will be highlighted.
11. Your choices
You can decide not to receive communications from us or change how we contact you at any time by:
- Unsubscribing from newsletters using the link in any email
- Contacting the Parish Clerk by email, post, or phone
- Updating your preferences through our mailing list management system
12. Complaints
If you are unhappy with how we handle your personal information:
- Contact us first: Speak to the Parish Clerk who will investigate your concern
- Escalate if needed: If you remain dissatisfied, you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK's data protection regulator:
- Website: www.ico.org.uk
- Helpline: 0303 123 1113
13. Questions
Any questions about this privacy policy or our data practices should be directed to:
Parish Clerk
Albury Parish Council
Email: [email protected]
This Privacy Policy was last updated in January 2025