Complaints privacy notice

This privacy notice is designed to help you understand how and why North Yorkshire Council processes your personal data. This notice should be read in conjunction with our corporate privacy notice.

Who are we?

North Yorkshire Council is a ‘data controller’ as defined by Article 4(7) of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). The council is legally required to operate a complaints process, this notice informs you of how and why your personal data is processed as part of this.

The council has appointed Veritau to be its data protection officer. Their contact details are:

Information Governance Office

Veritau

West Offices

Station Rise

York

North Yorkshire

YO1 6GA

Email: infogov@northyorks.gov.uk

Tel: 01904 552848

What personal information do we collect?

If you make a complaint to the Council, or if you are a direct or indirect party to a complaint, we will collect and use your personal data in order to investigate a complaint. This may include, but is not limited to:

  • any relevant information we hold on Council systems and databases
  • any information you, or a party to the complaint, provides us with
  • any information passed to us by any other organisation
  • witness statements
  • any relevant correspondence we have had with you or another party to the complaint –including internal correspondence about you
  • any relevant video recording (including CCTV), audio recordings including call recordings, or images
  • investigation interview notes

Why do we collect your personal information?

We collect and process your personal information in order to handle complaints made to the council.

Who do we obtain your information from?

Much of the information we process will be obtained directly from your complaint or from a complaint made by another individual. However, we may need to collect data about you from, but not necessarily limited to, the following organisations:

  • our appointed data protection officer
  • the police and/or other law enforcement bodies
  • local health and/or social care providers
  • local government and social care ombudsman
  • housing ombudsman

We may also receive your information via a councillor and/or member of parliament (MP) if you have nominated one to make your complaint on your behalf. 

Who do we share this information with?

Within the council we will disclose any relevant information to any officer that requires the information in order to complete the investigation, to administer the complaint, or to receive advice about how to handle a complaint.

The following organisations may also receive your information if required by law:

  • local government and social care ombudsman
  • housing ombudsman
  • parliamentary and health services ombudsman
  • care quality commission
  • information commissioner’s office
  • any other organisation and/or regulator when the council is legally required to disclose your information

How long do we keep your information for?

Data held

Retention period

Standard complaint

Six years upon closure

In some cases information gathered as part of a complaint investigation will need to be kept for longer than six years in accordance with various legislation. For example any complaints in relation to Looked After Children will be kept for 70 Years from closure of the file.

What is our lawful basis for processing your information?

North Yorkshire Council relies on the following lawful basis to process your personal data:

  • UK GDPR Article 6 (1) (c) - processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation to which the controller is subject
  • UK GDPR Article 6 (1) (e) - processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller

For more information about how we use your data, including your privacy rights and the complaints process, please see our corporate privacy notice.