Cambridge City Council regards respect for the personal data of its citizens, employees, suppliers and others the Council may communicate with, as being of the highest importance and crucial to its own services and objectives. Cambridge City Council endorses and adheres to the Data Protection principles.
Under the Data Protection Act you have a right to a
copy of the information Cambridge City Council holds about you. Please read the section Making
a Subject Access Request for further details of how to do this.
The Freedom of Information Act provides rights
of access to information held by public authorities. Cambridge City Council is committed to openness and actively seeks to
make available information about how it works, its decision-making processes and the services it provides. Please read the
Freedom of Information section for details
of what information is already available and how to make a Freedom of Information request.
Data Protection Policy
This Policy sets out Cambridge City Council’s commitment to Data Protection and how it implements that commitment in the collection and use of personal data.
The Council is committed to:
- Ensuring that it complies with the eight Data Protection principles
- Meeting its legal obligations as laid down by the Data Protection Act 1998
- Ensuring that data are collected and used fairly and lawfully
- Processing personal data only in order to meet operational needs or fulfill legal requirements
- Taking steps to ensure that personal data are up to date and accurate
- Establishing appropriate retention periods for personal data
- Ensuring that data subjects’ rights can be appropriately exercised
- Providing adequate security measures to protect personal data
- Ensuring that a nominated officer is responsible for Data Protection compliance and provides a point of contact for all Data Protection issues
- Ensuring that all staff are made aware of good practice in Data Protection
- Providing adequate training for all staff responsible for personal data
- Ensuring that everyone handling personal data knows where to find further guidance
- Ensuring that queries about Data Protection, internal and external to the organisation, are dealt with effectively and promptly
Regularly reviewing Data Protection procedures and guidelines within the organisation
Data Protection Principles
Personal data shall be processed fairly and lawfully
- Personal data shall be obtained for one or more specified and lawful purposes, and shall not be further processed in any manner incompatible with that purpose or those purposes.
- Personal data shall be adequate, relevant and not excessive in relation to the purpose or purposes for which they are processed.
- Personal data shall be accurate and, where necessary, kept up to date.
- Personal data processed for any purpose or purposes shall not be kept for longer than is necessary for that purpose or those purposes.
- Personal data shall be processed in accordance with the rights of data subjects under this Act.
- Appropriate technical and organisational measures shall be taken against unauthorised and unlawful processing of personal data and against accidental loss or destruction of, or damage to, personal data.
- Personal data shall not be transferred to a country or territory outside the European Economic Area unless that country or territory ensures an adequate level of protection for the rights and freedoms of data subjects in relation to the processing of personal data.