We have a legal requirement to ensure that all personal which is created by us or received and maintained by us is a record.
Information is kept secure, accurate, up to date, and is only used for the purposes for which it was collected.
Ask for information we hold about you
You may ask to see a copy of the information we hold about you. This is called a Subject Access Request. This could include your social care file if the council has ever looked after you or your tenancy file if you are a council tenant.
You have the right to access any personal information that the Council processes about you and to request information about:
- What personal data we hold about you
- The purposes of the processing
- The categories of personal data concerned
- The recipients to whom the personal data has/will be disclosed
- How long we intend to store your personal data for
- If we did not collect the data directly from you, information about the source.
PLEASE NOTE: A fire in one of our off site storage supplier warehouses took place in 2006. Unfortunately we do not have records of what was destroyed. This incident was reported at the time to the Information Commissioner’s Office. If any request potentially relates to any data that you request we will advise accordingly.
How to make a request for your information
To access your information:
Fill in our personal information request form
You can also send your request by email to InformationRightsTeam@newham.gov.uk
Or write to us at:
Information Rights Team
London Borough of Newham
Newham Dockside
4th Floor West
1000 Dockside Road
London
E16 2QU.
Information you will need to provide for us to fulfil your request
You will need to send us copies of two official documents as proof of your name and address, one document from list A and one document from list B.
List A
- Driving licence
- Medical card
- Birth/ adoption certificate
- Passport.
List B
- Bank/building society statement
- Utility bill (gas, water, electric or telephone)
- Council Tax bill
- HM Revenue and Customs statement
- Benefit Agency statement
- Solicitor’s letter
- Mortgage lender statement or letter
- Professional body membership card or letter
- Pay slip
- Letter of appointment from your employer.
You should delete any financial information you do not wish us to see. We only need to see the name and address portion of the document.
Authorising someone else to ask for your information
You may authorise someone to make the request for you. This could be a parent, solicitor or another adult.
You must send us written authorisation for them to do this, along with a copy of their identity.
If you would like to make a request for someone else, because they are too young (under 12 years old) or not mentally able, you may do so if you are a parent or another person who is legally able to act on their behalf.
You must give us proof of this by sending us a copy of a child's birth certificate or a copy of a letter confirming Power of Attorney.
Responding to your request
We will provide your information within one month of receiving your request and your proof of identity. However this may be extended by a further two months if the request is considered to be complex.
What you can do with the information
When you receive or view your information, you have the right to check it for accuracy. If you find that the information held is inaccurate, you can ask us to change the information by completing this form.
Complaints
If you are not happy with the way we have handled your request, you should contact us.
If you are not satisfied with our response you should contact the Information Commissioner's Office.
Find out how we use your information and protect your privacy.
Information sharing requests
If you are a professional and need to request personal data held by the council, please email us at InformationRightsTeam@newham.gov.uk